Transformation of Walsall hospital A&E department set to be approved

Planning committee members at Walsall Council will meet to discuss the proposal that will see a new two-storey healthcare building erected and the existing A&E facility refurbished.

The aim is to provide much-needed extra capacity to cope with increasing demand for services which is predicted to rise by 13 per cent in the next two years.

Funding for the project was announced by the Government at the end of 2018 and it is anticipated the work will take around 18 months to complete, with the facility ready for use in April 2022.

It is anticipated that the development will also see the creation of 118 new jobs at the hospital.

Members of the committee, which will meet next Thursday, are being recommended to granted delegated authority to planning officers, who will give the green light once several issues are resolved.

These issues include a revised drainage scheme to overcome concerns raised by the local flood authority and provide a heritage assessment and evaluation of a moat on the site.

Planning agents Building Design Partnership said: “The Emergency Department [ED] was opened in 1984, initially sized to see and treat circa 50,000 patients per year and is located close to the department of Diagnostic Imaging.

“Current ED activity is circa 74,000 but is predicted to increase by over 13 per cent to 90,000 attendances from 2022 following service changes within the Black Country.

Struggling

“The existing department is too small to cope with current demand and sizes of cubicles are well below current standards.

“Facilities to support mental health patients, patients with infection and at end of life as well as accommodation for bereaved relatives are extremely limited.

“The Walsall health economy has been struggling to achieve the national standard for ED for 95 per cent patients to be seen within four hours of attendance.

“Due to its size and configuration, the department is extremely sensitive to spikes in attendance with space availability impacting the rate at which patients can be seen and also contributing to significant ambulance handover delays.

“Whilst internal process changes are having a positive effect, further improvements are compromised by the capacity constraints.”

Since the announcement was made in 2018, excited bosses have said healthcare in Walsall will be transformed by the new facility.

Speaking in 2019 Russell Caldicott, lead director for the project, said: “This is a major redevelopment and an exciting one that is long overdue.

“It will make a huge difference to both our patients and our staff who are currently delivering care in extremely challenging conditions.”