There will be a number of changes at St Mary’s Hospital from today (Monday) as work is set to begin on a once-in-a-generation investment programme to improve the Island’s NHS infrastructure.
The main entrance will see hoarding put in place as work begins on the new emergency care floor. Patients, visitors, and staff will continue to be able to access the main entrance, footpaths will be redirected, and the zebra crossing moved to accommodate the changes.
The drop-off point, currently located outside the main entrance, will move to the front of the main hospital car park. The designated taxi spaces and a number of disabled car parking spaces will also be relocated here as well.
The motorcycle parking space will move to an area opposite the podiatry department, a short distance from the main entrance.
Samara Lamb, Head of Nursing for Unplanned Care said:
“The changes will mean we have one front door for all urgent and emergency services, ensuring we can provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
The improved emergency care floor will see a new waiting area, resuscitation (resus) area and treatment rooms for children and young people. There will also be a separate entrance for ambulances carrying children and young people to improve patient experience and ensure privacy.
On the improved ICU, Vicky Crickmore, Consultant Nurse for Critical Care said:
“For patients these changes will mean being able to provide quieter, more private spaces with natural light which will help their recovery and rehabilitation and provide a welcoming space for family members supporting them.”
Other changes across the site include a 2-way traffic system along the road leading up to the Education Centre. The road will be narrowed to accommodate the new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) extension – this is essential to enable contractor vehicles to come and go safely.
As a result, it may take longer to drive to and park near services at the back of the hospital including audiology, stoma, renal, patient transport and collection from the discharge lounge, mortuary services and for Preoperative Assessment Unit (PAAU) checks.
As well as the new emergency care floor and the improved ICU, there are plans to improve the configuration of the acute hospital wards and build a new mental health and community services unit located in Newport High Street. The new high street venue will provide an accessible community hub with co-located services offering holistic physical and mental health services. The contemporary space is designed to be inclusive and accessible with a space for a lift, ramps and a changing place toilet. There will also be a public café area for walk-in wellbeing support.
Rather than being based in multiple locations, these improvements will enable community nursing teams to work alongside adult social care services and mental health professionals right at the heart of the local community in a more accessible way. It will also enable closer working with local GP surgeries and other voluntary and community-based services operating in the local area.
The 4 projects are all set to be completed by Spring 2024.
And dancing behind movies screens behind movies screens
Why do you comment if you have nothing of interest to say?
Regardless of the opinions of many, our hospital needs substantial work doing to it. Many would suggest it is invested in other places, but investing it into the Emergency floor, where almost everyone will have to go before an admission, is a smart idea. We currently only have 3 beds in resus – improving this will help the flow of seriously ill patients, without staff having to make difficult decisions on who to move out, to accommodate the next patient.
Improvements on ICU will be welcomed – if you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to be a patient or family member of a patient in ICU then you’ll know that the work they do is second to none.
Witch, did you not realise? It puts these infantile ‘comments’ on here because it’s drugged up to the eyeballs!
Ur the bloke with big glasses and spotty face
Improving the experience for young people? How about improving the experience for the elderly that get shoved in a corridor on a trolley for days on end?
Oh good. a few more managers to oversee it who will then be ‘found’ new jobs for life.
Cut the bureaucracy and get the investment on to the wards.
I think the work about to be carried out is fantastic. Most will complain about St Mary’s, but they try to do the best they can in order to improve and still, they get blighted. Regardless of people’s questionable experiences, expanding the Emergency floor is needed, that is where almost everyone goes before admission – and anyone that has been there knows that it is a small A&E. Given our rising population and the amount of people attending A&E, they’ve realised an expansion is needed, this may prevent people from being treated in the corridors! But don’t blame the staff on the floor – they’re likely to receive stick during the shake up. It’s not necessary – they deserve an optimal place to do their job.
They are just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. This will make no difference to patient care, – but there is money to burn, so why not burn it up.
Maybe the NHS should start looking after the staff as without them they can spend what they like on so called improvements but with staff looking elsewhere for better conditions and PAY any improvements will be waste of effort
All the Island wants is better patient care.
And more suitable parking spaces.