Ten new emergency doctors will be joining

In one of his final acts as east Kent hospitals chief executive, Matthew Kershaw announced that 10 new emergency doctors had been recruited to join the trust over the next two months.

The trust cites recruitment problems as a significant obstacle towards improving performance in emergency units.

Mr Kershaw said that structural changes in the A&E departments in Margate and Ashford were also being made to provide more space for patients to be treated.

“We are putting in place a number of measures to improve, including treating more types of illness and injury in other parts of the hospital to relieve the pressure on the emergency departments,” Mr Kershaw said.

“We have been successful in a bid for £800,000 to help make the relatively small departments at Ashford and Margate hospitals more fit for purpose, so we have begun refurbishment work to increase the space available and provide a better environment for sick or injured patients.

“While we are confident this will help, we will still need more staff and we will need to make further improvements. It will take some time for us to reach the national four-hour standard, but we are making this a priority.”

There will be three new treatment areas at William Harvey’s A&E, including a recently opened ambulatory care unit to treat those who do not need to stay overnight. Its aim is to relieve pressure on the emergency department by seeing, treating and discharging people who do not need to be admitted to a ward.

At the QEQM, space for ambulatory care is being expanded so staff can see more people, with a special assessment unit for patients who may require surgery.

A separate area for children will improve conditions for families, and the mental health liaison service will be in place 24 hours a day by the end of the month.