HERE is a first glimpse inside the new £6.3million extension at Warrington Hospital.

The extended facility became operational last week including a new same day emergency care centre.

This is the latest stage of Warrington Hospital’s continued development of its urgent and emergency care offer.

The interior of the new extension at Warrington Hospital

As part of a £6.3million investment, the project aims to extend the range of urgent and emergency care services that is available to patients in the area.

The new same day emergency care centre runs 24-7, with a dedicated team that can assess, diagnose and treat patients referred directly from primary care or emergency department colleagues.

The prime objective is to avoid patients having to be admitted to hospital.

The extension became operational last week, with staff getting to grips with the new facility

The extended space includes a triage facility and 12 assessment spaces, three treatment rooms and a combined assessment unit to replace the 20-year-old modular combined assessment unit previously in place.

The scheme began with a ground-breaking ceremony in October last year, with a 1,170sqm purpose-built, two-story extension co-located with the existing emergency department in the Appleton Wing.

Patients cannot access the same-day emergency care service directly and should continue to use the NHS’ existing emergency care offer, including NHS111, GPs, urgent treatment centres – and with life-threatening illness or injury – A&E or 999.

The interior of the new extension at Warrington Hospital

However, the intention is that suitable patients can be transferred to the same day emergency care centre and be discharged where appropriate on the same day.

The centre’s service is a further addition to the urgent and emergency care offer at the trust, which includes A&E, a frailty unit, combined assessment centre and Halton Urgent Treatment Centre.

While the existing emergency department remains unchanged, staff facilities and office space have been relocated to the second floor above the same day emergency care centre.

The interior of the new extension at Warrington Hospital

This will free up scarce emergency department space for further internal reconfigurations to maximise clinical use of the limited space.

Professor Simon Constable, the hospital’s chief executive, previously described the upgrade as a ‘game changer’.

He said: “Much of the delay in the emergency department occurs when staff run out of space to assess patients.

The new extension to the department building at Warrington Hospital is now operational

“This will be a real boost to our capacity to assess patients and move them on to the next diagnostic or care setting.”

He also dispelled residents’ fears that the expansion project could mean that the town will not be getting a new hospital.

The trust officially submitted its new hospital bid to the Government in September, as part of the £3.8billion New Hospital Programme, with a decision expected soon.

The interior of the new extension at Warrington Hospital

Professor Constable added: “The project will make a game-changing difference.

“What we are hoping to do is make the department fit for the future in terms of how we currently work our same-day emergency care.

“There are absolutely still plans for a new hospital. We submitted a bid in September to be one of eight new hospitals nationally, and that is being assessed as we speak.

The interior of the new extension at Warrington Hospital

“These things (the expansion and a new hospital) are not exclusive of each other.

“We need to continue to make the best use of the estate that we currently have and look after it until we have an alternative.

“The timelines of these things are very different, and we have many more winters to get through before a new Warrington Hospital is likely.”

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