Changes are happening on the General Hospital site from now onwards as the 15-month building project gets underway.
The Emergency Department service will run 24-hours a day as normal throughout the building programme, but the Trust needs to move the existing Emergency Department, and other departments affected by the works, to another part of the hospital for the year that it will take to build the new accommodation.
To help local people understand the on-site changes and plans for the future, the Trust is holding a public meeting on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 6pm in the Old Council Chamber, Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1UJ.
You will be able to see details of the architectural plans and timescales involved and hear more about how the new Emergency Department will work. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions of the Trust’s Directors and Clinical Staff.
The new bigger department will feature more rooms, including four new examination rooms, one new treatment bay and three new resuscitation bays. The waiting room will also be enlarged, as will the staff changing facilities and the storage space.
Trust Chief Executive Lorene Read said: “For a long time we have been concerned that, as our existing Emergency Department is small, but busy, this causes ambulances and patients to wait longer than we would like.
“Patients have told us that they dislike the current cramped reception area, where they find their privacy is compromised because they can be overheard at reception by other waiting patients.
“Our plan therefore is to both refurbish and extend the existing Emergency Department and to integrate it with the GP health centre on our site, which is run by NHS North Somerset and Gryphon Healthcare - resulting in an integrated urgent care department.
“This is a massive and exciting project for the Trust – one which we truly believe will transform our patients’ experience of accessing urgent care here – and we are looking forward to telling local people more about it.“
For further information, please contact Caroline Welch on 01934 647091
“It will enable all health professionals with whom I came into contact to know more about me as a person and have a greater understanding of my needs.”
Hazel Moore, Branch Manager of the Alzheimer’s Society, North Somerset branch, said Martin had told her of two occasions when he told health professionals that he was a professional clown.
On both occasions the members of staff turned to a family member, in front of Martin, to ask if this was true.
As Martin had been a clown for more than 30 years, he felt very insulted at not being believed.
Hazel said: “If this information is written on a leaflet like This Is Me, everyone will know at the outset, and will also know that Martin is always happy when making balloon models—a skill which he retains despite his dementia.
“This could mean that staff could lessen his stress and anxiety by giving him the opportunity to make balloon models.”
Sister Susie Milton said: “We welcome this new initiative in the Trust as it will help to make the needs of Alzheimer’s patients known to any member of our staff who needs to look at their notes while they are in hospital.
“Key details, such as their past occupation or family members’ names may help with recognition and communication.”
Sister Milton also thanked Hazel and her team who regularly attend the Trust’s Memory Clinics to offer advice and support to patients and their families on aspects of their care, such as financial benefits or day care facilities.
For more information, please telephone the Alzheimer’s Society on 01934 514977 or email north.somerset@alzheimers.org.uk
For further Trust information, please contact Caroline Welch, Head of Communications, on 01934 647091