First look at new £13m plan for Blackpool Victoria Hospital to expand emergency department and boost services

Bosses at Blackpool Victoria Hospital have drawn up finished plans to upgrade facilities and increase the capacity within the emergency department.

Government funding for the project has been agreed subject to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust submitting a detailed business case, which is now due to be sent for approval.

The Vic’s emergency department has seen exceptionally high demand with soaring patient numbers this winter leaving medics stretched and struggling to hit government waiting time targets. The problems have been compounded by a lack of staff, with efforts under way to recruit.

Dr Adeline Israel, who has been working on the project, said the new emergency village would provide a “much better environment” for the trust’s “exceptional staff” and mean a better experience for patients.

The trust is now set to appoint a contractor to build the new facility, which will be just behind the existing emergency and urgent care units.

It will see the current high dependency and intensive care units relocated, freeing up space to expand the emergency department.

Dr Israel, emergency village clinical lead for the emergency department, said: “I am excited and pleased about the progress being made.

“Currently, our exceptional staff work under extremely challenging conditions of constrained space, shortage of manpower and high influx of patients with a wide range of needs.”

She said the new development would help “close the gap” and attract new staff by “offering a training environment that will be second to none”.

“This, combined with education of the public to visit ED (emergency department)only during a medical emergency, will go a long way to make it a centre of excellence,” she added.

“The ED is considered as the anything and everything department, with high-user demands.

“Staff are stretched to a large extent already trying to meet these demands while even tolerating abuse and misbehaviour at times.

“The emergency village offers the hope of a much better environment for the staff to enhance patient experience and deliver high quality of care with improved outcomes. This hope continues to drive and motivate us. Therefore, I am encouraged to strive towards making this vision a reality soon.”

Emergency village clinical lead for critical care, Dr Rob Thompson, said: “We are really excited that we can start to visualise the new unit and the benefits to both staff and patients.

“The new unit will include rehabilitation areas, a space fit for purpose. The new patient rooms will also be more appropriate for the critical care environment.”

Health secretary Matt Hancock announced the funding for the emergency village in December 2018, as part of a £963m cash injection for the NHS.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals is now poised to submit its detailed business case, which, if approved, will unlock the funding and allow work to get underway.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is also set to receive £8.2m to improve facilities and ensure that mental health patients on the Fylde coast are receiving care in the right place to support their needs.