Ballymena people to benefit from new Emergency Dept.

Chairman, Jim Stewart, was one of the visitors and was delighted to see first hand the new facilities.

He said: “The Emergency Department, which is due to open in Spring 2013, will be a modern state-of-the-art facility providing emergency care to the people of Ballymena. The new unit has been designed to accommodate 90,000 attendances per year.

“The design of the new unit will improve the patient’s flow and experience through the emergency department, providing a safe and secure working environment for staff and visitors.

“The environment ensures the protection of patient’s privacy and maintenance of their dignity with all treatment areas being designed as single rooms except for the five bedded Resuscitation area and the eight recliners in the Clinical Decision Area”.

The design of the new Emergency Department will include a reception area; Triage, Minors (Adult & Paediatrics), Majors (Adult & Paediatrics), Resus, designated rooms for gynaecology; neck and head injuries; bariatric patients, an X-ray suite and isolation facilities plus a full range of supporting accommodation.

The full scale mock up room was built in the old Laundry/ Boiler House at the Holywell Hospital site in Antrim.

The mock up room is equipped exactly as the new unit will be and allows clinicians, nurses, domestic services, infection control officers and allied health professionals to get an accurate view of the size and layout of the proposed bedrooms.

All comments made by users and staff are recorded and reviewed by members of the project team such as the architect and mechanical & electrical consultant.