Modernising Our Hospital:  Newsletter - August 2024

Welcome to our monthly update on plans for a New QEH and work taking place across the Trust.

Strong case for a New QEH

Message from CEO Alice Webster:

“At the end of July Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government will be carrying out a review of the New Hospital Programme. We fully understand the Chancellor’s need to ensure all public money is used to deliver the greatest value for taxpayers.

“I believe our case for a new building remains strong, we are investment ready and our team are working hard to be able to stay on track to deliver a new hospital by 2030.

“We are regularly speaking to our colleagues at the New Hospital Programme, NHS England and the government are keen to make progress with our plans as soon as possible.  As soon as we have more information on the review we will share this with you all.”

Improved Resuscitation Unit opens

This week the new Resuscitation Unit at The QEH opened to significantly enhance in the care provided to critically ill or injured patients.

With spacious rooms and a dedicated paediatric area, the unit ensures staff have immediate access to essential life-saving equipment in a purpose-built environment.

The new unit not only transforms care for critically ill patients but also improves working conditions for staff and supports family members with a dedicated relatives’ room. This private space offers loved ones the privacy they need during distressing times.

Find out more here.

Rooms taking shape at Community Diagnostic Centre 

The new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at the top end of The QEH site is taking shape and will be ready to receive first patients at the end of September.

Radiology staff and members of the Trust’s Executive team have been taking tours of the spacious new building which will increase the number of appointments available to outpatients, helping to reduce the waiting times for people needing scans such as MRI and CT.

With five new imaging rooms alongside dedicated areas for patient care the spacious rooms are starting to take shape, giving patients and staff a purpose-built area housing cutting-edge technology MRI and CT scanners as well as X-ray and Ultrasound imaging used for diagnosing and monitoring of a wide range of conditions – including cancer and respiratory conditions.

The CDC will open to patients at the end of September for all scans apart from MRI, which will begin later in October.

Newly appointed MP visits QEH 

This week newly appointed MP for South West Norfolk Terry Jermy, visited The QEH to see first-hand the challenges of a RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) hospital and to discuss plans for the future.

On his first official visit to the Trust, Mr Jermy took a tour of the QEH building meeting with key senior leaders, including Trust Chair Chris Lawrence and CEO Alice Webster, to receive updates on robust plans for a New QEH and how the hospital is maximising the potential of the current site, including a new dedicated end of life unit which is funded through the hospital’s own charity..

Read more here.

Plans for new unit to help make final care for patients and loved ones more comfortable

Work is progressing well on a new five bed unit at The QEH that will provide patients with a more dignified and comfortable place to receive care in their last days and hours of life.

Called the Peddars Way Unit, after the famous national trail through Suffolk and Norfolk, it has been specially designed to provide a calming and peaceful space away from busy hospital wards.

Located in a new modular building and due to open this Autumn, it will be for patients who are too ill to move from the hospital.

Read more about this new unit here.

Keeping updated

You can keep up to date on all our developments on our website dedicated to the new hospital at www.newqeh.org.uk or please get in touch by emailing newhospital@qehkl.nhs.uk.

If you know someone who would like to receive regular updates about how we are modernising our hospital and the progress with our new hospital plans, please ask them to email us using the email address above and we will add them to our email list.

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