Same Day Emergency Care upgrade works
Phase two of works to improve the ‘Same Day Emergency Care’ (SDEC) units at the QEQM Hospital in Margate and William Harvey Hospital in Ashford are now due to begin.
Phase one is completed following a funding announcement last Summer of £29m for the East Kent Hospitals project.
The second phase of the build is due to be finished by next summer with the hospitals’ trust saying it will benefit both patients and the healthcare system by reducing waiting times and hospital admissions.
At QEQM Hospital, the urgent treatment centre has been moved to the Sarre building. Other major moves have included outpatient therapies (which were in the Sarre building) relocating to Walmer A, and a new rehabilitation gym has been created.
East Kent Hospitals Trust says: “SDEC units allows acute specialists to assess, diagnose and treat patients on the same day of arrival who would otherwise have been admitted to hospital.
“Under this care model, patients presenting at hospital with certain conditions can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward, and if clinically safe to do so, will go home the same day their care is provided.
“The Trust has been awarded £28.95m funding across both sites to improve the patient journey and experience.”
Work started in September and should finish by summer 2026.
East Thanet MP Polly Billington has welcomed the works, saying: “I hear all too often the nightmare many constituents are facing accessing timely care at A&E, so it’s great to hear that Phase 2 of the £29 million from the government for a major expansion of Same-Day Emergency Care facilities for East Kent Hospitals is brilliant news for East Thanet.
“After years of crisis, Labour is investing in our NHS so we can end the shameful scenes of patients stuck for hours in A&E waiting rooms.”