Hospital assessment unit plans unveiled

A NEW assessment unit set to be built next to a hospital’s emergency department will cut the number of patients admitted unnecessarily and ease the pressure on staff, NHS bosses say.

The proposed £6m Acute Assessment Unit at Airedale Hospital, in Steeton, near Keighley, will be 1,400 metres in size.

Once completed, the majority of the units patients at the unit will arrive via the neighbouring accident and emergency department to be assessed initially by the medical or surgical teams.

They may have preliminary investigations and procedures carried out before being discharged or admitted into an appropriate bed on a specialist ward.

NHS officials say the aim of the unit is to reduce the average length of stay and increase the number of patients being treated and diagnosed on an outpatient basis without having to be found a hospital bed.

Airedale Hospital’s construction partner, Integrated Health Projects, and NHS representatives will be sharing the plans from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on Wednesday next week at the Hub in Steeton.

A planning application is being made to Bradford Council later next month and, if it is approved, IHP are expected to start work in the New Year, to be completed by winter 2017.

The clinical director for acute medicine, Dr Franco Guarasci, said: “We want to make sure when patients come to Airedale’s acute assessment unit they get the best care, promptly in an environment that is fit for purpose.

“They will have rapid access to appropriate staff who can make the right decisions quickly. It’s not just about simply having a new building. We are also changing the way we work and developing new systems.”