"I AM delighted that we have now received the go-ahead to build a specialist emergency care hospital in Cramlington. The hospital will be the first of its kind in the country, purpose-built to specialise in emergency care services and delivering consultant-led care, something we know will only save lives. There has been a lot written recently about our specialist emergency care hospital, a lot of which is untrue.

"I thought it important, therefore, to be clear with information about what the new hospital is really about and dispel the myths and legends."

These are the words of Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the organisation which is building a specialist emergency care hospital in Cramlington and redeveloping many of its other hospitals as part of a £200million investment.

The state-of-the-art hospital will be the first in England to have emergency care consultants on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Specialists from all the main clinical conditions will be on duty during the day and evening and on-call during the night.

Medical evidence shows that having the right specialist on hand to treat patients saves lives and significantly improves recovery.

The hospital will be staffed by highly-trained and experienced medical professionals specialising in the treatment of a specific condition or injury.

Northumberland County Council’s Planning and Environment Committee has granted permission for the development. The approval is subject to support from the Civil Aviation Authority regarding impact on Newcastle Airport.

Jim said: “The new hospital is a key part of our plans to invest £200million to give our population access to some of the best healthcare in the country and internationally.

“The hospital is located to best serve our existing patient population and will not duplicate any services which already exist. We have a strong financial track record giving us the ability and confidence to embark on this major investment.”

So, a reminder what the new hospital is about:

It is a service for our most ill patients most of which are referred in by a GP or get there by an ambulance.

There is compelling evidence that your chances of surviving and recovering from an emergency will improve dramatically if you are seen and treated by the right specialist quickly.

Our existing A&E departments will still be able to cater for most patients who currently ‘walk in’.

You will see a specialist A&E consultant first for diagnosis and a treatment plan – any time of day or night – whereas currently you could start treatment with a junior doctor and then be transferred to the relevant specialist consultants.

There will be new facilities – eg more single rooms with bathrooms and refurbishments at North Tyneside and Wansbeck general hospitals and new community hospitals in Haltwhistle and Berwick.

There will be reduced waiting times in A&E for walk-in injuries or illnesses at all three existing general hospitals.

There will be improved transport links to the specialist emergency care hospital for visitors – shuttle bus links to and from Cramlington and other transport hubs including Northumberland Park Metro station, a car park and cycle and pedestrian routes.

WHAT WON’T CHANGE

Ambulances will still take people to the nearest hospital that has the appropriate facilities to cater for their needs.

It won’t affect Newcastle’s services. They will still take cases such as major trauma, serious heart attacks, neurosurgery, facial plastic surgery and very sick children.

Our local hospitals won’t close – thousands of people will still be able to ’walk in’ for treatment.

The majority of patients will still use their local hospitals. Those treated in our new hospital will be transferred to the hospital nearest to their home as soon as possible.

It is also worth clarifying that the new hospital will be 11 miles for the RVI, not eight as has been stated. It will not divert resources from other hospitals and will not result in patients being taken there who will be more appropriately treated elsewhere.

EXISTING HOSPITALS WILL CONTINUE TO

Provide A&E walk-in services for non life-threatening illness or conditions.

Provide outpatients, diagnostics, surgical procedures and inpatient care for people transferred from the new hospital.

Provide emergency outpatient and day hospital facilities.

They will be the places where most care is delivered.

There will be space to increase single rooms and bathroom facilities and move from six-bed bays to four-bed bays.

There will be a range of new services developed with local GPs and local authorities.

There will be new buildings for community hospitals in Haltwhistle and Berwick.

Jim said: “I hope that this clarifies some of the points about our plans and illustrates that it represents excellent value of money and confirms our commitment to deliver the very best healthcare in the country for the communities of Northumberland and North Tyneside.

“This is what you told us you wanted during our engagement and the consultation when we met hundreds of people over six months – 74% of people supported the changes during the public consultation in 2009 – and this is what we’re delivering for you. We will continue to work with consultants from across the region to ensure that together we provide the best care for you. We are very proud of our plans – they are the results of many years’ hard work by our clinicians drawing on their expertise and experience of treating patients and international clinical evidence.

“Alongside the health benefits, this represents a major investment for the area and we are committed to ensuring that as much of this investment goes to local businesses as possible. In what is a much-needed boost for the construction industry, we anticipate that around 1,000 people will be employed across the lifetime of the build, which equates to an investment of £2.7m per month through the construction period.”