Hospital opens £2.2m emergency care unit
HEALTH bosses have unveiled Macclesfield Hospital’s new £2.2m Same Day Emergency Care unit saying it aims to get patients home ‘as soon as possible’.
It officially opened this week and East Cheshire NHS Trust, who run the hospital, has released a video to give a virtual tour of the site.
The unit will have six consultation rooms where emergency patients are assessed and then an oncall doctor can be summoned to give fast-tracked treatment.
It is hoped the new model will prevent unnecessary admissions, reduce waiting lists for elective surgery and lead to faster discharge if appropriate.
Trust chair John Wilbraham said: “I am really proud of the work that will be done here by our staff for you our patients.
“The purpose of the facility is to make sure you can come, you can be assessed and we will bring clinicians to you to get you home the same day and not actually admit you to beds. The model which allows staff to assess before admission rather than admit then assess, ensures patients spend less time waiting in hospital for the right treatment to be decided for them.
“Our new unit will also help with infection control by easing pressures in our emergency department at a time when capacity is reduced due to changes implemented to minimise Covid transmission.”
On-call doctors will include specialists in medicine, surgery, orthopaedics and gynaecology.
There will also be access to radiology and bloods will be sent directly to a laboratory for analysis.
Patients can be referred to the centre by their GP, NHS 111 or from accident and emergency, which the unit is next to.
Doctor John Hunter, trust medical director, said: “The new unit will reduce hospital admissions and in turn improve the patient experience and help the trust manage patient flow.
“Patients who are referred to the SDEC with relevant conditions can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward, and if clinically safe to do so, will go home the same day their care is provided.”