New £17.9m emergency department at Grimsby hospital now open

A new £17.9 million emergency department at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby welcomed its first patients on Wednesday morning.

It is now operational and provides modern, well-equipped facilities that are twice the size of the previous department.

The 2,255m² building was designed in conjunction with the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s clinical teams.

Features include:

• An increased waiting area to cope with demand and social distancing requirements and a dedicated waiting area for our younger patients
• More cubicles, which have been designed to enable flexible use. This will help 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

Inside the new Emergency Department in Grimsby. | Photo: NLaG

The free mobile phone charging station is just one of the improved features of the new Grimsby Emergency Department. | Photo: NLaG

More cubicles have been designed to enable flexible use. | Photo: NLaG

Jug Johal, Senior Responsible Officer for the project and Director of Estates and Facilities, has overseen the project.

He said: “Our number one priority will always be to give you the best possible care, and this new unit will give our teams the space, facilities, and equipment they need to provide this.

“It looks absolutely fantastic, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in the project. I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved.”

The waiting area at the new Grimsby Emergency Department has 52 adult seats – an increase from 20 in the old department. | Photo: NLaG

He added: “It’s also important to remember that this is just phase one of a larger programme of works.

“Very shortly, we will begin transforming what was our Emergency Department into bespoke units that will work in conjunction with our new Emergency Department, so that you get the right care, from the right clinician more quickly.

“This area will be transformed into a new bespoke unit to house our Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), and Acute Assessment Units.

“It is not always necessary for some patients to go into the Emergency Department at all, as we can potentially direct you straight to one of these areas.

“Having these areas co-located with our Emergency Department will make a huge difference, as it will help us to ensure you are seen by the best clinician for your needs more quickly.”

The new Grimsby Emergency Department also has a dedicated children’s waiting area, with play equipment and an interactive floor. | Photo: NLaG

Peter Reading, Chief Executive Officer, added: “The addition of this excellent new Emergency Department to our hospital in Grimsby is part of our ongoing commitment to investing in the long-term healthcare of our communities across northern Lincolnshire and Goole.

“Work is also progressing well on our new Emergency Department in Scunthorpe, and we have further improvements planned, including the upgrade of our operating theatre provision, a gamma camera – which will further enhance our diagnostic services – and ongoing works to improve the energy efficiency of our estate.”