Emergency Department expansion begins taking shape

The prospect of an expanded Emergency Department (ED) is now clearly visible on the John Radcliffe Hospital site as building work continues at a fast pace.

On Friday 4 October 2019 Oxford University Hospitals' Chief Executive Dr Bruno Holthof, Trust Chair Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery and Oxford Hospitals Charity's Chief Executive Douglas Graham joined members of staff from the Emergency Department and building contractor McLaughlin & Harvey to present the progress on the Emergency Department extension, now that the bricklaying work has been completed.

The new building will provide a better use of space, more diagnostic equipment and improved dignity and privacy for patients as well as improved turnaround times for ambulances.

It will include an extra nine bays for the immediate care of seriously ill patients, including a paediatric resuscitation room and an isolation room. An additional CT scanner with control room, as well as a nurses' bay and improved bereavement and relatives' rooms, will also be provided in the new area.

Trust Chair Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery said: "I am very impressed with the progress of the extension works. Our community deserves an Emergency Department able to cope with the challenges of a growing, but also ageing, population and this new build will help our staff continue to deliver excellent care.

"It is a significant building project with many complex elements, but on its completion, it will benefit the whole community.

"I am also very pleased that the new facility will provide improved bereavement and relatives' rooms which will give families more privacy at an incredibly difficult time. A dedicated CT scanner will enable us to get the diagnosis of critically ill patients far more quickly."

Oxford Hospitals Charity has funded the new high spec CT scanner, costing £829,000, thanks to a legacy gift that was left with the request it be used for scanning equipment.

The charity will also fund art and colour schemes which will be developed as an integral part of the new build. They will include a series of calming light boxes for key spaces, ceiling tiles in bed bays to aid orientation, and sensitively designed bereavement and relatives' rooms as well as the decoration of the staff room.

Dr Douglas Graham, Chief Executive at Oxford Hospitals Charity, said: "We are very thrilled to contribute to the new Emergency Department as our aim is to provide our expert clinical teams and their patients with the best equipment and facilities.

"We know that the new CT scanner will have a huge impact. Moreover, the art programme will help create a calm and relaxing space for patients and their families at a stressful time, and a positive working environment for emergency staff who work under pressure most of the time.

"We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters who help us fund this important work, and to those very special individuals who include the charity in their Will."

The budget for the entire Emergency Department reshape is around £13 million. As a part of the expansion project, six ambulance spaces will be created and a more efficient drop-off point will be set up at the entrance of the new building. In addition, this project includes a new Assessment Area in the ED that was opened in December 2018, and further refurbishment work in other areas of the department that will be carried out once the extension work is complete.

Katie Mimpress, Matron of the Emergency Department, said: "I want to thank all my colleagues in the Emergency Department and Estates involved in this project as well as our contractors and the paramedic team at South Central Ambulance Service.

"We faced a logistic challenge with the loss of the ambulance entrance in the area where the extension is being built. But we all worked together to rearrange the internal space to facilitate patients' access while preserving their privacy and dignity. The staff have coped brilliantly, with the great resilience emergency workers have, ensuring that the ongoing works had no impact on patient care."

Construction began in April 2019 with a ground-breaking ceremony at the site following the approval of the planning application by Oxford City Council in November 2018. Work has been progressing well and the extension will hopefully be completed by next spring.

Alan McKee, Senior Construction Director at McLaughlin & Harvey, commented: "We are delighted to be making such good progress with the extension to the emergency department. We have completed the foundations and superstructure and are continuing with the external envelope and internal fit-out works.

"We have an excellent team on this project and we are all very proud to be involved in a building that will make such an impact on so many peoples' lives for many years to come."