Trust to spend £2.25m to expand A&E at Fairfield General Hospital

Clinical Matron, Penny Yates; Dr Naveed Akbar; and Dr Ritesh Shetty, consultant, at the A&E department at Fairfield General Hospital

The Trust Board at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has approved the spending of £2.25 million to expand and improve facilities at the Accident & Emergency Department at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury.

The spending will see the development of separate dedicated A&E facilities for children and young people, and the expansion of the department to separate ‘minor’ and ‘major’ cases which will improve waiting times and the patient experience.

The decision confirms the long-term future of the hospital which provides a full range of medical inpatient services, planned day case surgery and full outpatient and diagnostic services.

Fairfield’s A&E was originally designed to accommodate 45,000 patients. Last year, the department saw over 65,000 patients from Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and parts of East Lancashire.

Dr Kassim Ali, consultant in emergency medicine and clinical lead at Fairfield General Hospital, said: “This is excellent news for the patients we serve and for the staff. The expansion will mean that we will have separate dedicated facilities for children, including waiting areas and treatment areas; this will help ease the stress children face when they have to come to hospital.

“We are a fully functioning A&E department. The staff in the Emergency Department continue to provide high standards of care to acutely ill and injured patients. We are also the gateway to a range of non-elective medical services at the hospital such as the primary centre for receiving stroke patients for the whole of the Trust.

“Our major cases take priority and this development will mean we will be able to stream patients more effectively, for example, so that those with minor injuries are separated from our more critically ill patients who are brought in by ambulance. We will also have an extra fifth resuscitation bay. The expansion of clinical treatment spaces and the improved physical layout of the whole department will also help improve patient flow and have a positive impact on patients’ experience.”

Penny Yates, clinical nurse matron at the A&E department, said: “This is very welcome news for the department and will help boost and make a big difference to the services we provide. It is fundamental that children can be cared for and treated by trained staff in an appropriate child-friendly environment, separate from adults. We continue to be a fully functioning emergency department. This will help reassure our staff and the general public that the A&E here will remain a viable service for the population of Bury, Heywood and surrounding areas.”

The Chairman of The Pennine Acute Trust, Mr John Jesky, in announcing the investment said: "I am delighted to announce this £2.25 million to improve and expand facilities at the Emergency Department at Fairfield General Hospital. The plans have been developed with the staff who work in the department and will improve services and benefit patients, particularly children who will now have dedicated facilities. Fairfield General Hospital remains an important hospital and provides a key component of the Trust's inpatient facilities.

“The staff here are highly skilled and do a fantastic job, caring and treating the thousands of patients that come through its doors. This investment will future-proof not only the A&E department but also the other services provided at Fairfield. The decision confirms the long-term future of the hospital which has nearly 300 beds and provides a full range of medical inpatient services, planned day case surgery and a full range of outpatient and diagnostic services.“

The building work is expected to begin within the next few months and complete by Summer 2013.