Major investment in RUH’s emergency care facilities

WORK is under way on a £2.5m improvement project which will update and further improve the emergency care facilities at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.

The project, which is the result of a successful funding bid to central government, will continue to ensure patients get the right care in the right place at the right time, while reducing ambulance handover times.

The key strands of the project are:

 Increase capacity in A&E – A new three-bed resuscitation area will be created, to care for patients arriving by ambulance and needing resuscitation or major care. This will also improve access to ED for ambulance crews.

 Same Day Emergency Care Services – Providing same day care for patients who would otherwise be admitted to hospital. Under this care model, patients can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward and, if clinically safe to do so, will go home the same day their care is provided. 

The types of conditions managed through same day emergency care vary, but can include conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, pneumonia and diabetes. As part of this service, a new entrance to A&E will be created for those patients arriving for same day emergency care.

 Relocating the Trauma Assessment Unit – Relocation to a new, permanent, modern space within the Trauma and Orthopaedic Outpatient Unit, complete with new equipment. Patients will be seen quicker, with those referred by their GP being admitted directly to the unit.

RUH chief executive Cara Charles-Barks said, “These improvements will have a really positive impact, improving the experience our patients have when they arrive at our front door for emergency care.

“This project will increase overall capacity within the emergency department and ensure that patients are triaged and cared for in the most appropriate location based on their clinical need.

“It will also benefit ambulance crews, by improving their access to A&E to safely offload critically unwell patients.

“We would like to reassure our patients that they will still receive the same excellent level of care from the RUH while these improvement works take place, though we would like to apologise in advance for any increase in noise and construction traffic on site.”

The project is due to be completed by the end of March.

With the RUH very busy, treating both Covid and non-Covid patients, and attendances at our Accident and Emergency department remaining high, people with an urgent medical problem who are thinking about coming to our Emergency Department are asked to contact NHS 111 first.

Experienced 111 clinicians will assess their needs over the phone and direct them to the most appropriate local service, potentially avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital.

People with very serious or life-threatening health conditions, such as chest pain, severe bleeding or loss of consciousness, should still continue to phone 999.