NEW QEH Hospital update

At the first of a series of presentations, the new QEH designs were revealed in Hunstanton on Tuesday 10th June.

About a hundred people filled the Town Hall eager to view the display boards and listen to a presentation by the team in charge of the project.

Residents arriving ahead of the presentation T&A

Paul Brooks, the Director of Estates and Facilities is the senior officer responsible for the build and he began by updating the gathering on the progress so far.

Paul Brooks T&A

He explained that 79% of the existing QEH is built from RAAC and the building needs to last until 2032 when the new hospital opens its doors, so continuing with safety works is vital. Mott MacDonald have been charged with the job to see if anything else needs to be done before the new hospital is built.

He went on to say that staff need to transition to new service levels. "The work we are doing now will be to a standard we'll be using in the future, creating modern care provision.

"Due to open this summer is a modular unit which cleans and decontaminates medical equipment."

Hospital 2.0 is a standardised blueprint design for all new facilities, developed in consultation with hundreds of clinicians, healthcare staff and patients across the country.

BDP (Building Design Partnership) are designing the new hospital using national guidance from the New Hospital Programme.

Programme Director Peter Cox leads the team that will build the new QEH and he said: "The new QEH will be built to a new standard, it will be safer, greener and better for everyone."

The plan is for all single en-suite rooms in the eight storey building which will also have 'separation of flows' (separate routes for supplies, patients, staff and visitors around the building). 

The helipad is going to be moved and the multi storey car park built before construction of the new hospital on the current car park can begin.

The Associate Director of Nursing Toni Platts explained the single rooms are better for patients as they can spend less time in hospital provide privacy and are much better for families visiting their loved ones. The efficient designs also reduce the time staff spend on non-patient care. "We start with the patient," she said.

Toni Platts

She said the new QEH will be a smart hospital, and they are planning for now and into the future. The ambition is for it to be a healing environment with good light and views, be comfortable, quiet and with fresh air.

With regard to the workforce she added that: "The new hospital will create lots of new jpb opportunities and should attract top talent and support our educational programmes."

The audience asked lots of questions including some about the School of Nursing, training and apprenticeships, catering and dietary requirements and specialised treatments that were answered with open and frank responses by the team.

We at T&A learned a lot from this presentation and would recommend readers to attend the other presentations listed below.

nformation sessions will be taking place at the following locations, doors open at 5.45pm with presentations starting at 6pm:

Tuesday 10 June Hunstanton Town Hall

Thursday 12 June King’s Lynn Town Hall

Monday 16 June Virtual event

Wednesday 18 June Swaffham Assembly Rooms

Wednesday 25 June South Wootton Village Hall

Wednesday 16 July Marshland St James Village Hall

Monday 21 July Downham Market Town Hall

To register to attend book online at www.newqeh.org.uk,

email newhospital@qehkl.nhs.uk or call 01553 613051.

or scan the QR code above.