Patients to benefit after successful bid for new ward at Hereford County Hospital

Patients at Hereford County Hospital are set to benefit after Wye Valley NHS Trust’s bid for £3.6 million to install a new 24-bedded ward in time for Christmas was given approval by NHS England.

The new modular ward, which will be located next to the Emergency Department (ED), will allow staff to assess patients quickly and reduce the reliance on using areas normally occupied by patients undergoing routine surgery when pressure mounts on services during the winter.

This has happened increasingly in recent years due to a lack of beds and has meant the Trust has had to postpone routine operations. The extra beds mean that this should not happen this winter.

The news is timely as the Trust is experiencing an ongoing increase in the number of patients it sees in its Emergency Department – in 2016 the number of weekly emergency adult admissions who were admitted during the summer was 190. Last year this rose to 225 and this year the figure rose to 250.

It means the Trust has been admitting around a third more patients each week now than it was two years ago and needs to increase the number of beds.

“This decision is significant and will make a real difference to the quality of care we can deliver to our patients this winter,” said Jane Ives, WVT’s Managing Director.

In addition to the new ward, a new Surgical Assessment Area and a Gynaecology Assessment Unit have just been established and a project to reduce the number of overnight admissions is about to get underway.

“We’re working hard to ensure we are as prepared as possible for winter pressures. The new ward is key and, alongside our amazing workforce, we are doing all we can to ensure we deliver the kind of care we’d want for our friends and family,” added Jane.

Today’s news was part of an announcement by NHS England for £145 million which will be going to Trusts across the country ahead of winter to improve emergency care.