April 7, 2021 2.18 pm This story is over 38 months old

Grimsby hospital A&E extension approved

Two new builds at Grimsby and Scunthorpe hospitals totalling £24.86m

Plans to extend Grimsby hospital’s A&E department have been given the go ahead.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s planning officers have approved Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Health Trust’s application to build a two-storey emergency care extension and new replacement hospital main entrance lobby for the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital.

The proposal will also see a new car parking deck above the existing main car park built, a new bus shelter and extra drop off points for the hospital.

The new Acute Assessment Units will be staffed by specialists in a range of conditions and illnesses, allowing patients to be seen and treated more quickly, often without the need to be admitted to a ward.

It includes:

  • An increased waiting area to cope with demand and social distancing requirements
  • A dedicated play area for younger patients
  • More cubicles, which have been designed to enable flexible use, which will help us manage surges in patient numbers and make it easier to meet individual patient needs.
  • A dedicated ambulance bay, reducing the time to transfer patients arriving by ambulance into the hospital

The council’s officers said: “The proposal would support and enhance existing health infrastructure at the hospital and this investment and enhancement to health provision for the borough is welcomed.”

The trust hopes that as a result of extensions there will be a reduced number of people delayed in hospital, therefore, reducing the length of stay for patients who are in hospital for more than 21 days and freeing up beds.

The move will increase the number of parking spaces by two for visitors and patients and 33 for staff once completed.

The overall funding for the emergency departments is £30million – with a further £24.86m for the aligned AAUs.

In September, the trust was given £4 million to upgrade the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital and another £4 million for a similar scheme at Scunthorpe General Hospital — which has also been given planning permission.

Director of Estates and Facilities, Jug Johal, the Senior Responsible Officer, said: “I’m delighted we have now got over this final hurdle in the planning stages of the programme and work can start in earnest to bring these new facilities online.

“Our number one priority is to give the best possible care and these works will give us the space, equipment and facilities we need to do that.”