Emergency Department Extension, William Harvey Hospital
HMY were appointed in 2020 to design an enlargement and remodelling of the Emergency Department at William Harvey Hospital. With current A&E patient attendance in the order of 280 per day, demand for space at the ED is high, which has led to the need for expansion at the hospital, which has extended the capacity to 350-400 visits per day. The works required realignment of an internal access road to serve the re-positioned ambulance bays along with a reconfiguration of the site car parking to accommodate a new extension for resus and rapid assessment and treatment areas.
Internally three phases of work were undertaken to improve and expand the emergency department to bring facilities up to date. This required close consultation with the contractor and clinical team to maintain services particularly through the winter pressures. the NHS experience.
A similar ED expansion project has also been undertaken at Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital. Both projects were shortlisted for Better Building Healthcare Wards 2023 Best Interior Design – Refurbishment.
The key issues to be addressed by the new enlarged and refurbished department were Rapid Assessment Area – increase number and size of bays in Resuscitation, Rapid Assessment and Majors providing simpler and more effective interconnection between the departments, Increase the size of Paediatric Department, Increase the size and capacity of the Department waiting areas and provide a new clear Entrance to the Emergency department. As part of the design the existing poor circulation and lack of separate Public and Ambulance entrances was resolved. Additional need toilet, storage and staff accommodation was planned in, including larger Staff changing and restroom facilities.
