News

New emergency department at Queen Alexandra Hospital receives outline planning permission

Acting on behalf of Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, Turley has helped secure outline planning permission for a new emergency department (ED) in Portsmouth.

We provided expert Planning services for the development which is supported by £58 million of national funding. The new ED will provide an effective, modern and welcoming environment for patients, their families and for staff.

Penny Emerit, chief executive at the trust, said: “Receiving outline planning permission from Portsmouth City Council is an exciting milestone in our plans to develop a brand new emergency department for our patients, colleagues and our local community.

“As well as giving us the capacity we need to meet the needs of our local residents, the new department will enable us to work more efficiently to give all our patients the very best possible care.”

The new ED will provide the opportunity to implement best practice for patients needing urgent and emergency care, continue to improve patient safety and will mean staff will be able to work in a more streamlined way.

The new design will give nursing teams better visibility across the department, enable faster decision-making by clinicians, and will mean patients have faster access to the radiology team for scans and tests. Combined, these will mean people visiting the department will receive the treatment they need in a timely way.

The design will also see adults and children treated in single rooms, improving privacy and dignity and enabling any patient with symptoms of Coronavirus or other potentially infectious conditions to be isolated quickly.

Doubling resus capacity from four adult bays to eight will provide additional capacity for patients needing treatment for critical conditions, while two further paediatric resus bays will be provided for children. Furthermore, a new CT scanner, located within the ED, will mean patients requiring a specialist scan will be able to have one without leaving the department.

The new department will also be energy-efficient, include easy-to-understand signage and wayfinding for visitors, and provide staff with dedicated rest areas to support their wellbeing.

Construction work is set to start in autumn 2022.

2 August 2021