Airedale Hospital’s managers have officially approved an investment of £6.3 million to develop a new accident and emergency department.

The go-head for the major scheme was given by the board of directors at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust last Wednesday.

The building schedule has been finalised, and work is now taking place to transform the hospital’s former endoscopy unit into a temporary A&E department.

During this month, emergency staff and equipment will be moving into the temporary area, and building work will start towards the end of the year after the current department has been demolished. The project is expected to take between ten and 12 months to complete.

Dr Meg Crossley, consultant in emergency medicine at Airedale and clinical lead for the project, said: “This is great news for both staff and patients, as it means we will have an emergency department that is fit for the future.

“The new department will be a huge improvement on our current facilities, and will provide better privacy and dignity for our most vulnerable, older patients and their families and carers.”

Airedale Hospital’s A&E department currently deals with more than 55,000 patients every year.

A hospital spokesman said its staff face a daily struggle to find enough room to see and treat patients, adding: “Technology now plays a much bigger role in treating emergency patients, and the department’s small cubicles cannot accommodate the equipment currently used.

“The new department will have separate adult and children’s waiting areas, a quiet room for friends and families to use during stressful events and a separate screened entrance for ambulances.

“Treatment rooms will be fitted with appropriate technology, allowing staff to see the results of X-rays and blood tests at the patient’s bedside.

“Designed to cope better with peaks in demand, the new department will have a central staff hub at the heart of the treatment area. It will enable staff to monitor patients more easily, and better observation will help reduce the need for unnecessary admissions.”

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