Staff at a newly transformed children's emergency department have said the 'much needed' changes mean the ward is better placed to deal with pressures this winter. The Children and Young People’s Emergency Department, based at Queen's Medical Centre, reopened today (Tuesday, October 11) after £3.5 million worth of improvements were made, which saw its clinical capacity expand by 50 per cent.
The space, which provides care for people up to the age of 18, now has room for 45 patients in the waiting area - increasing from 30. Catherine Livingston, matron for the department, said the changes mean the flow through the department should be more fluid.
"Everybody used to be sat in one pool - it would be busy, it would be loud, it would be full," she told Nottinghamshire Live. "If we are timely with our assessments in the new triage rooms and categorise them correctly, the flow through the department should be more fluid. It should try and reduce the congestion we had previously."
