East Surrey Hospital builds new £4m wards

The new wards increase the size of the emergency department by almost a third

A Surrey hospital criticised over A&E waiting times has built two new wards at a cost of £4m.

The building at East Surrey Hospital houses 20 beds on two levels, including single rooms and rooms with four beds.

The new wards are part of a £14m redevelopment programme and increase the size of the emergency department by 30%, the hospital said.

Colin Slater, from the Surrey Link patients' association, said: "This is only the first step of many."

NHS data, released in November, showed that Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, took more than four hours to see one in five patients and was one of the worst performing hospitals in the region.

At the time, chief executive Michael Wilson said the trust was spending £14m to address "significant capacity issues".

A spokesman for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust said the two wards came in on budget and would help "patient flow throughout the hospital".