Plans to develop emergency care in Gateshead

							Press release

6 August 2009

Plans to develop emergency care in
Gateshead
EXCITING plans to transform emergency hospital care in Gateshead have
been revealed.

The plan to develop a new emergency care unit at the Queen Elizabeth
Hospital is one of the main priorities for Gateshead Health NHS Foundation
Trust over the next couple of years.

The Trust is looking to make a significant investment in improving emergency
care facilities at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This includes the re-
development of Accident and Emergency (A&E) and a new medical
assessment unit and will also see a new main entrance to the hospital
developed. The new building will also incorporate paediatric emergency care
facilities.

Ian Renwick, Chief Executive of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust,
said: “This exciting project is not just about a new building. We are very
carefully looking at the whole of the patient experience from when patients
arrive at hospital requiring emergency treatment and how we can provide the
best care to suit their needs throughout their time in hospital. This gives us an
opportunity to examine how we currently do things and how they can be
improved.

“A proposed site for the new building has been identified at the front of the
current main entrance to the hospital. At the moment, there are no plans as to
what the new building will look like as we want to gather views from our staff
and members of the local community to work with us and tell us what they
think this new development should include.”

In the meantime, anyone wanting further information and to make some initial
comments can visit www.gatesheadhealth.nhs.uk/emergencycare or call
Darren Makepeace, Modern Matron, on 0191 445 3243

Ends

For further information please contact:
Lucia Charnock, Head of Communications, Gateshead Health NHS
Foundation Trust, on 0191 445 6120 or 07908 131 154, email
lucia.charnock@ghnt.nhs.uk

Carly Wood, Communications Officer, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation
Trust, on 0191 445 3561, email carly.wood@ghnt.nhs.uk

Out of hours: Paul Dobbie at Persuasion Public Relations on 0845 071 0678
or 07967 197224, email: paul.dobbie@persuasion-pr.com