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New emergency department set to welcome patients

Grace McGrory
BBC News
BBC Six members of staff are standing in a line smiling at the camera. They are all wearing different medical uniforms and are standing in a cubicle on a ward. BBC
Staff at Boston Pilgrim Hospital were consulted on the design of the new department

Hospital bosses said a new "state-of-the-art" emergency department would improve the experience for patients.

The first half of the new facility at Boston Pilgrim Hospital is due to open on 7 May.

The completed "transformation" is expected to cost between £45m and £49m, Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group said.

Professor Karen Dunderdale, chief executive, said the department would be "future-proofed for years to come."

The pictures shows a cubicle on a ward. There's a bed in the middle, with an observation machine behind it, and a red cabinet to the side.
When the work has been completed, the department will have trebled in size, the group says

New facilities include more cubicles to treat patients, ambulance parking directly outside, and a separate area for children to be assessed and treated in.

The department also has a private room for families to spend time with their loved ones who have passed away.

The new building has been constructed next to the current emergency department.

When the department moves into the new building, work will begin on joining both structures together to create a bigger facility.

This could take between 12 and 18 months to complete, NHS bosses said.

Professor Dunderdale said: "When you're working in a department like they do here in Boston that's small, cramped and outgrew its size years ago, compared to somewhere like this, I don't envisage that we'll see corridor care here at all.

"We're all really proud of this new department."

A lady with a blonde bob is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a black dress and a purple lanyard. She is standing in a hospital ward.
Professor Karen Dunderdale says the new department will mean patients are seen a lot sooner

Dr Rajeshwar Ranganathan, clinical lead for emergency medicine, said: "We've always had staff wanting to deliver excellence healthcare. We've had patients who deserve that excellent healthcare, but we've not had the place to deliver it from.

"This marks a massive milestone in emergency healthcare for the people of Lincolnshire."

In 2019, Boris Johnson, prime minister at the time, visited the hospital and announced it had been granted £21.3m to build the new emergency department.

The rest of the funding will come from across the Lincolnshire NHS system, the group said.

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