New Emergency Department opens
London's newest emergency department opened its doors on 2 December 2018 at Croydon University Hospital.
The building, which cost more than £21million to construct, offers modern, high-quality facilities and has been designed by our doctors and nurses to create the best environment in which to care for patients.
The department is 30 percent bigger than our previous Emergency Department and offers many benefits including a dementia-friendly design and rooms with doors, rather than curtained cubicles, to increase privacy for patients.
There are two separate paediatric waiting areas - one for children under 12 and the other for adolescents - plus an outdoor space and nine paediatric patient rooms where they can receive care.
There are also two mental health liaison rooms offering private and appropriate spaces where nurses can assess people who need specialist care, plus a dedicated Child and Adolescent Mental Health liaison room.
In addition the Emergency Department building includes a new Urgent Treatment Centre with six consultation rooms and a treatment room where people with more minor ailments can be looked after by qualified staff.
Dr Kathryn Channing: “We are incredibly proud of what we have built here at Croydon.The new department means our community have access to some of the best emergency care facilities in London."
Dr Kathryn Channing, lead Emergency Care consultant at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud of what we have built here at Croydon.The new department means our community have access to some of the best emergency care facilities in London.
“Throughout this project we have all worked closely with the designers and construction team to ensure that the department offers exactly the right environment in which to care for our local community now and for many years to come.”
Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive of CHS said: “As a Trust, we always put our patients needs first and that has led to the creation of this wonderful new Emergency Department which has been designed to ensure we can offer the best care and facilities to local people.
“It is a great day for the Trust, for our local community and our staff, many of whom have worked tirelessly in temporary facilities while construction was ongoing. Thank you to everyone who has made this achievement possible.”
The new Emergency Department is a welcome addition to existing excellent urgent and emergency care services in the borough which also include three GP hubs where people can get same day appointments if they need to see a doctor but do not require emergency care.
During construction of the new building, the Trust continued to provide A&E and urgent care from temporary facilities at Croydon University Hospital.In August last year, a new Resuscitation area, where the sickest people are taken by ambulance, began taking patients while construction continued on the rest of the building.
The department is opening at a time which is always very busy for acute hospitals as winter pressures lead to increased demand for urgent and emergency care. So we are reminding people that while we are always here for people who need A&E or urgent care, for minor ailments, people can often be seen more quickly and can get all the care they need by going to a pharmacist, their local GP or one of the GP hubs across Croydon.
Dr Agnelo Fernandes, NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group Clinical Chair and local GP said: “We welcome the arrival of this modern emergency department which has been designed to meet the needs of our borough’s diverse population.
“While we are delighted that Croydon has access to this new facility, we urge residents to only go to A&E when absolutely necessary.For minor ailments you will get seen much more quickly at a GP Hub or the pharmacist.If you need urgent care but are not sure where to go, dial 111 for advice.For general health advice and to find out where local health services are, residents can download the Health Help Now app and use NHS 111 online.”
Inside the new Emergency Department at Croydon Univeristy Hospital
Croydon's ED: Main reception (top left), adult 'majors' treatment cubicles (top right), Children's ED waiting area (bottom left), majors clinical hub (bottom right)