22 September 2011
The care given to patients admitted to Epsom and St Helier hospitals in a life-threatening or emergency situation is set to even further improve, thanks to an investment of more than £740,000.
The significant cash boost will fund an additional team of six senior doctors across both sites, who will assess seriously ill or injured patients as soon as they are admitted to hospital.
This new team of doctors, who will be supported by nurses, therapists and other healthcare workers, will mean that emergency patients are seen by a senior doctor faster than ever before. It will also mean that a treatment plan, and decisions about a patients' care, can be made quickly and efficiently by a senior member of medical staff.
Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins said: "I am absolutely delighted to announce this fantastic investment. It will allow us to take a whole new, fresh approach to the emergency care we are providing to our patients and will mean that everyone receives the highest level of care faster than ever before.
"As a Trust, we are passionate about moving forward and making continual improvements to the care we're providing for local people. By making these changes, we'll be able to modernise the way that we work and make sure patients get the very best from us during their hour of need.
"This investment has been approved and provided by the Trust Board, who recognise the positive impact it will have - not only for our patients, but for our staff and hospitals too, as we will be able to improve the efficiency of the way we work. "
The investment will also see two new 'acute medical units' (AMUs) created at Epsom and St Helier, which will allow our medical teams to plan for a patient's discharge more easily as soon as they are admitted. The units will encompass:
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Our clinical assessment units, which treat 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 treats patients with minor injuries or illnesses who do not need to stay overnight.
By creating the new AMUs, our patients will be directed to the most suitable area for them depending on the severity of their condition, allowing our experts to organise and plan for a patient's timely discharge.
Matthew added: "We know that our patients don't want to stay in hospital for longer than is necessary, so by creating different areas for patients depending on the amount of time they are likely to be with us, we can make sure there are absolutely no delays in the system. This is great news for our patients, and I can safely say we are all very excited about the changes we are making."
Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom and Ewell said: "I am delighted to hear about this new investment at the hospitals and of the innovative changes being put in place to improve the care local people receive. Being ill isn't nice, so it's important people get seen by the most senior clinicians as quickly as possible."
Ted Gates MBE, the chair of Sutton's local patient group, Local Involvement Network (LINks) said: "We are very pleased to hear that additional senior doctors are joining our local hospital, and we fully support any initiative that gives patients quicker access to the specialist care. In an emergency, it's vital that patients are given the care that they need and made to be as comfortable as possible promptly, so this sounds like a fantastic project."
