Latest improvements to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital A&E now operating and available to patients
The latest improvements to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital's A&E are now operating and available to patients.
Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has opened eight new modern patient bays in the Emergency Department (ED) at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) as part of ongoing refurbishment and redevelopment work.
It follows new, larger purpose-built resuscitation bays and larger patient bays which opened in March this year.
The whole department refurbishment, which is set to finish in 2027, is a key part in the Hospitals Transformation Programme (HTP), a multi-million pound investment intended to improve care and cut down on delays.
The refurbishment forms part of the trust’s wider HTP plans. A four-storey expansion is currently under construction at the front of the RSH site and is expected to open in 2028.
Until then, the bays will be used to provide the clinical space needed to complete the next phases of ED refurbishment work.
Mr Subramanian Kumaran, emergency care consultant and clinical lead for emergency care for HTP, said: “Each milestone we reach as part of this refurbishment gives an improved space to provide a better experience for our patients who really need it.
“I’d like to thank our patients and teams for their support during this much-needed transformation. Once complete our new Emergency Department will provide the clinical space needed for our teams to continue to make improvements and provide a positive urgent and emergency care experience for every patient.”
Creating a children’s emergency space, including a separate waiting area and triage rooms, and remodelling of the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) are part of the work set to take place within the ED.
It will also include a new dedicated entrance and protected ambulance canopy.
Outlining the shape of the new development the trust said: "Designed to meet future needs of the population, the new ED will ensure patients with life- or limb-threatening and serious conditions have immediate access to the emergency doctors, specialist surgical and medical professionals they may need, who will all be based at the same location.
"The essential support teams with all the necessary medical and surgical specialist skills will be in close proximity to the ED. This will ensure that patients are seen more quickly by the right specialist teams, often working together, and patients will then continue their care in the right setting."
Dr Ed Rysdale, emergency care consultant and clinical lead for HTP, said: “By creating a hospital specialising in in emergency care, we will have all emergency specialists in one place, rather across two hospital sites.
“HTP will bring an improved working environment, creating a better environment for our colleagues and communities, supporting us to deliver the right care in the right place at the right time.”
Work will be carried out on in phases and is expected to be completed in 2027.
A&E will be open throughout this. People are advised to continue to access services as they currently do.
