TAMESIDE Hospital’s accident and emergency department will be transformed and improved into a ‘landmark’ if plans get the go-ahead.
Benefits will include expanded resuscitation accommodation, an increased number of majors cabins, a new rapid assessment and treatment facility and a new paediatric zone.
Proposals also include an increased waiting room with additional triage facilities and an increase in ambulance parking bays from two to four, whilst providing access from the rear of each ambulance directly into the ‘blue light’ entrance.
Tameside and Glossop NHS Trust has applied to Tameside Council to rejig the department at the Fountain Street facility in Ashton, with its existing facility staying open while work takes place of permission is given.
After a detailed study based on patient numbers, time spent in department and projected growth, a schedule of accommodation was produced for the main departmental room types with A and E.
And it was decided the area taken up by the department needed to increase, with an area next to the current ambulance bays to be taken up.
Cosmetically, new frontage will be placed on the department and designers have proposed to replace the current ambulance canopy with a new lightweight one which will be fully integrated into the redesign of the entrance.
Documents state: “Currently the ambulance drop off bay is served by a single layby, with covered canopy, that can receive only one ambulance at a time.
“The time taken for the patient to be handed over to hospital staff and then for the ambulance to vacate the layby is causing significant issues for following emergency arrivals.
“This has resulted in ambulances queuing on Hartshead Close and patients being transferred a greater distance to the blue light entrance.
“Due to the very restrictive site constraints due to the space available up to the highway and pedestrian movements around the ambulance drop off area, four proposed ambulance bays are provided.
“The pedestrian crossings have also been redesigned to allow visitors to safely cross the road and travel up Fountain Street.”
Proposals include all areas being wheelchair-accessible and even provide details on colouring of door frames so they stand out.
Floors will be treated with non-slip vinyl and signs will be designed to be as easy as possible for visually-impaired people to read.
Documents add: “The remodelling of the accident and emergency department is being undertaken to provide improved clinical facilities and create efficiencies in the delivery of emergency care at Tameside District General Hospital.
“The reconfiguration also provides the opportunity to enhance the appearance of the emergency department as a whole, by creating a new façade, behind which the separate adults and paediatric receptions overlook each of the two waiting areas, which in turn will benefit from an abundance of natural light from the large areas of glazing.
“The therapeutic and calming effects of natural light and views to outside within an accident and emergency waiting area are well documented and these larger waiting areas will also provide sufficient spacing of seating to allow for social distancing as required.
“These proposals match the Trust’s aspiration to create a ‘landmark design’ for their new emergency department, which will not only have a striking and attractive appearance but will also provide a safe and efficient working environment for the clinical teams.
“The single storey extension to the front allows for new windows to flood light into the waiting areas.
“The external treatment has been the subject of detailed study in order to achieve an appearance appropriate to a modern healthcare building in its specific setting.
“The colour and texture of the materials have been selected to sit sympathetically with the adjacent hospital buildings but contrast with it.
“While the extension of the building is only modest in scale, the design employs a cladded façade to give a contemporary contrast with the existing austere red brick three storey façade.”
Tameside Council’s Speakers Panel (Planning) committee will decide whether to grant or refuse planning permission.
I hope the plans for A&E department go ahead long overdue also the childrens waiting areas and understaffing needs addressing urgently .
Totally agree, the reason for the excessive waiting times is lack of Doctors and people treating it like a pharmacy drop in.
Fantastic plans , theyll need more Doctors to man it too . All they need to do then is stop the people abusing it , using it as a 24/7 doctors for toothache and broken nails . The waiting times would be greatly reduced if people used it for what it is “ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY ” !!!
I wonder if Pfizer will make a contribution from the pot of money ( Billions ) it received to experiment on the human population.
Perhaps their funds will help the good people it has damaged with a drug that it knew would have so many side effects , they attempted to bury their own information for 50 plus years.