8 December 2011
Local VIPs, hospital doctors, nurses and other staff gathered today (8 December 2011) for the official opening of Epsom Hospital's new acute medical unit (AMU).
The AMU, which was launched in October following an investment of more than £742,000 across both Epsom and St Helier, plays an essential role in the hospital.
Crucially, it takes pressure off the busy A&E (accident and emergency) department, helping to reduce waiting times and ensure that patients receive the most appropriate treatment quickly.
Emergency patients attending A&E, who need to be admitted to hospital, are transferred to the AMU. The modern new unit has highly trained staff who assess the need of the patient for further investigation and provide all the necessary initial treatment. After assessment, a decision is made to either discharge patients directly home or admit them to specialist wards for further treatment.
Epsom's AMU is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is run by a dedicated team of newly appointed consultants, supported by junior doctors, nurses, therapists, social services and other healthcare staff.
Janet Holah is Chair of Mid-Surrey's local patient group, Surrey LINks (Local Involvement Network) and officially opened the AMU. She said: "This acute medical unit is such an innovation. No-one likes to be in hospital and a speedy and safe return home is we would all wish for if at all possible - apart from not being in hospital in the first place, of course!
"It is excellent that our hospital has made such a huge investment in patient care at a time when budgets are tight.
"I am honoured to have been asked to officially declare this new unit open and have pleasure in doing so."
Trust Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins said: "I would like to thank Janet for officially opening our new AMU today.
"As a Trust, we are passionate about moving forward and making continual improvements to the care we're providing for local people. By introducing the AMU, we have been able to modernise the way that we work and make sure patients get the very best from us during their hour of need. This has been a very proud day for all those involved."
Staff gather for the ribbon cutting
Dr Guan Lim is the clinical director for medicine at Epsom Hospital and is in charge of the AMU. He said: "We are all so incredibly proud of the AMU and the positive impact it is already having for our patients.
"Although it has only been up and running for a short period of time, we can already clearly see that it's allowing our patients to get the expert planning and care that they need faster than ever before. By working more closely with our partners, including physiotherapists and social services, we can also plan for our patients' discharge more effectively.
"We all know that patients don't want to spend any longer in hospital than is absolutely necessary, and the AMU helps us to ensure that doesn't happen."
The unit is made up off:
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Our clinical assessment unit, which assesses patients who need further examinations or treatment before being discharged;
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a short stay area for patients who need to stay in hospital for one to three nights;
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our ambulatory care area, which provides treatment and observation to patients who don't need to be admitted to.
