Crane lifts A&E unit into place at hospital
A60M-TALL crane will be installed at Southport Hospital this weekend.
The giant crane will be put in place on Saturday as part of a £1.15m investment in the hospital A&E department.
The crane will be lifting four ready-built modules into place to create an eight-bay extension to the A&E department.
The modules will be lowered and assembled in an internal courtyard and then connected to the main hospital. After fitting out, the extended A&E should start accepting its first patients by the end of April.
Plans to expand the department were first revealed last month and are designed to ‘create a better caring and working environment for patients and staff’.
Further A&E bays will be created in the main hospital, whilt there will also be upgrades to the main waiting area, toilets for the disabled, the X-ray waiting room and the area for ambulance arrivals.
A CQC inspection last week rated the hospital as ‘Requires Improvement’, but hospital bosses pointed to the planned expansion as something which would “significantly improve privacy and dignity for patients”.
Therese Patten, chief pperating officer, added: “This building work and investment programme forms part of our commit- ment to further improve the A&E department for our patients.
“The work will reduce overcrowding at the busiest times, improve the experience of care for patients, particularly their privacy, and provide a better environment for our staff.”
Steve Treadgold, head of estates and capital for Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals Trust, said: “The crane weighs 96 tonnes and should be quite a sight. We are carrying this work out at a weekend to keep disruption to a minimum.
“Contractors will be setting up from 6am with the work expected to be complete by early afternoon. Traffic marshals will be on hand to direct motorists and visitors as necessary.”