Bright new look for children’s A&E ward
Long-serving nurse opens unit – with a little help
YOUNG patients at Hillingdon Hospital will now benefit from a newly revamped accident and emergency (A&E) ward that was officially opened last week.
The redesigned children’s emergency ward was refurbished as part of a £5million investment in the Uxbridge hospital for women’s and children’s services.
It was opened at midday on Tuesday July 19 by the longest serving paediatric nurse at the A&E Mary O’Callaghan alongside the first young patients using the ward.
Shane DeGaris, the chief executive of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which runs the hospital call it ‘impressive, bright and modern.’
Mr DeGaris said: “The newly refurbished children’s A&E is one of the significant improvements made in our services for women and children over the past year.
“The new surroundings provide an impressive, bright and modern space with bigger bed bays and colourful graphics which will help ensure a more
Bigger bed bays and colourful graphics will help ensure a more pleasant experience for our young patients”
pleasant and comfortable experience for our young patients.”
The ward now consists of a four-bed assesment unit for children who need a short stay, a triage room for initial assessments, and a clinic room for follow-ups.
There are also six A&E consulting rooms, and one room for young patients who have come from the resuscitation unit.
The children’s A&E was moved to another section of the hospital while the building and decorating work was carried out.
Hillingdon Hospital is also set to be expanded when a four-bed extension to the Peter Pan paediatric ward opens in the autumn.
The £5million investment has been made through funding from the Shaping a Healthier Future programme which is the government’s reconfiguration of health in north west London. The programme saw the closure of the children’s ward at Ealing Hospital.