Northumbria Healthcare welcomes support for improvements
NORTHUMBRIA Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has moved another step closer to transforming health services for its patients after a three-month consultation, led by NHS North of Tyne, highlighted broad support for its plans.
The proposals involve a £200m investment over the next 10 years to:
Rebuild Berwick and Haltwhistle hospitals, creating modern environments and facilities so more services can run from these community hospitals.
Greatly improve facilities at North Tyneside and Wansbeck general hospitals, creating wards with more single rooms and 4-bedded bays with bathrooms. This would give patients more space and privacy.
Build a new specialist emergency care hospital bringing together specialist consultants on one site so that emergency cases get immediate attention from a specialist. We know that people who are seriously ill or injured have a much greater chance of surviving and a better recovery rate if they are seen first by a consultant with specific expertise in their condition.
Jim Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “These are very exciting proposals that we know would bring enormous benefits to our patients. The care people receive in our hospitals is currently very good, and these plans would enable us to do even better. It would bring world-class quality healthcare to Northumberland and North Tyneside.”
The new hospital would be staffed 24-hours- a-day, seven-days-a week by specialist A&E consultants. It would also be staffed by doctors specialising in all main areas including stroke, cardiology, orthopaedics, respiratory, gastro-intestinal, obstetrics, gynaecology and elderly medicine.
They would be at the hospital during the day and evening and on-call during the night. State-of-the-art facilities dedicated solely to emergency patients would mean quicker diagnosis and treatment. Patients are likely to stay at this hospital for a few days before either going home or being transferred to their local general or community hospital.
Patients with less serious illness or injury would continue to receive emergency treatment at their local general hospital or minor injuries unit.
Waiting times are likely to be reduced as patients with more serious conditions, who are currently treated ahead of routine patients, would have gone direct to the new hospital.
Most planned care, for example operations, outpatient appointments and scans, would continue to be provided at a patient’s local hospital. They are less likely to be delayed or cancelled as doctors and equipment wouldn’t be disrupted by emergencies, as these would be dealt with at the new hospital.
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