Grimsby hospital opens new £18m Emergency Department

The treatment areas include "Sky panels"

A new £18m Emergency Department has opened at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.

It is double the size of the previous unit with more cubicles and a dedicated ambulance waiting area.

The NHS trust said it was designed in conjunction with medical staff and would help "manage surges in patient numbers".

Trust director Jug Johal said the old facilities would be converted to a support unit for the new centre.

The new Emergency Department cost £18m

"This area will be transformed into a new bespoke unit to house our Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), and Acute Assessment Units," he said.

"It is not always necessary for some patients to go into the Emergency Department at all, as we can potentially direct you straight to one of these areas.

"Having these areas co-located with our Emergency Department will make a huge difference, as it will help us to ensure you are seen by the best clinician for your needs more quickly."

It has murals and a children's play area

Other features include a decontamination unit for industrial accidents and scales in the floor that weigh patients as the ambulance crew wheels them in to calculate the correct drugs dosage.

It also has a larger waiting room to allow social distancing, a children's play area and "Sky panels" showing projections of sky and trees in the treatment areas.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) said there would be further investments in its three hospitals and work was progressing on a new Emergency Department in Scunthorpe.

Last year, the trust urged people to only attend its Emergency Departments if "absolutely necessary" following queues of patients outside during a Covid surge.