New winter ward opens at City Hospital
A new 27-bed medical ward has opened at City Hospital to help ease pressures and improve patient experience this winter.
Newell Ward offers a maximum of 27-beds and is purpose-designed to provide treatment for patients with a variety of medical conditions.
The ward opened to its first patients this month and received 12 referrals within the first week with the capacity to go up to a maximum of 27 patients.
Victoria Fensome, Medicine Divisional Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) said: “We know that the demand for our medical bed occupancy increases during the winter months and Newell Ward will make a significant difference to our patients.
“I am extremely grateful to the team for all their hard work in getting Newell Ward up and running in such a short amount of time. It’s a great example of working together to make changes that improve the experience of and care for our patients.
“The opening of Newell Ward will give us extra capacity to care for those who need to be in hospital over the coming months, while minimising the impact on other services including elective admissions.”
The ward team is comprised of NUH colleagues who have come together from a wide range of professional groups and specialties to provide a multi-disciplinary approach.
Newell has its own dedicated in-house receptionists, discharge co-ordinator and food services and cleaning teams. Nursing staff and healthcare assistants provide 24-hour care, and the ward is supervised by a clinically qualified ward manager, further supported by educators from across the Trust.
Lisa Kelly, Chief Operating Officer at NUH, said: “Winter is an extremely busy time for the NHS and Newell ward will help us to ease pressures, maintain flow throughout the hospital and improve patient experience.
“We have a well-established approach to our winter planning at NUH. We anticipate that this is going to be a difficult winter but we hope to mitigate the impact and ensure a more positive experience and better outcome for our patients.
“The safety of our patients and the quality of the care we provide will always be our priority.
“Above all, we want the public to stay well this winter. If you are eligible, please take up the offer of COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.
"Please only attend our Emergency Department in an emergency and use alternative services where possible, including 111 online, pharmacies or urgent treatment centres. By choosing the right service, you will be freeing up staff and vital hospital beds for those that need them the most.”
Newell Ward forms part of a wider winter capacity plan to support and maintain the flow of patients through NUH.
Further to the additional capacity, NUH has also introduced a number of further measures this winter including: changing the use of current clinical space, improved patient pathways and improved Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) pathways.