Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington opens new planned care unit

Ward manager Donna Robinson (right) with other staff on the new procedures unit.

A new unit has opened at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital for planned care.

The dedicated unit at the Cramlington hospital will take the burden off the ambulatory care department, which primarily provides same-day emergency care.

The hospital as a whole, operated by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, is focused on emergency care, with most planned care and operations, as well as less serious urgent care, taking place at Wansbeck, Hexham, and North Tyneside general hospitals.

With the new unit, planned medical, surgical, orthopaedic, gynaecological, and CT scan-guided procedures that do take place in Cramlington will be separate from emergency care.

Some cardiology procedures, such as fitting pacemakers, have also moved to this unit in order to free up ward space elsewhere.

Matron Jayne Redpath, who is responsible for the new unit, said: “The aim of this development was to make best use of the space we have in the hospital by providing a bespoke unit for planned care and opening up more capacity in ambulatory care and A&E.

“This is ultimately with the goal of maintaining high-quality care for all of our patients, whether they are here for emergency treatment or booked appointments.

“So far that has certainly proved to be the case, with the feedback from patients using the units being very positive, thanks to the dedicated, specialist team, and a more peaceful environment for waiting and treatment.

“This project has also represented further investment in our staff teams and those working on the unit have welcomed being able to focus on caring for their patients in a dedicated area away from the emergency department and ambulatory care.”