Thursday, 15 March 2012
Significant upgrading to Morriston Hospital in Swansea is to go ahead thanks to £15.864million Welsh Government funding.
Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has approved £9.489 million for a specialist rehabilitation unit which will include a new Artificial Limb and Appliance Centre. This is on top of £5.875million for the redevelopment of the hospital’s emergency department.
The new Combined Specialist Rehabilitation Unit will also house a Rehabilitation Engineering Unit (REU), Orthotics/Surgical Appliances Department and the Medical Electronics Department.
Accommodation to be provided within the unit will include a range of consultation, examination and treatment rooms, fitting rooms for artificial limbs, appliances and wheelchairs, manufacturing facilities for artificial limbs and specialist wheelchairs, a gymnasium, equipment workshops and administration facilities and storage areas.
Investment in the emergency department will increase the number of patients able to be treated, providing an improved triage area (with two additional triage rooms) and an area for rapid assessment of arrivals by ambulance. It will also allow for a larger children’s A&E with its own waiting area and a larger general reception area.
There is also an improved ambulance entrance which allows better patient flow, and the improved internal layout is designed to better deliver complex A&E services to the local population.
Lesley Griffiths said:
“The busy Emergency Department at Morriston Hospital had clearly outgrown its accommodation. An average of 300 patients attend each day, equating to 100,000 attendances per annum, so it is important facilities are improved to meet demand.“This investment has allowed improvements in the building itself. The expansion to the waiting rooms, the new observation area and the enhanced ambulance entrance and internal layout will all assist the dedicated and hard-working staff to better serve their patients."The new Combined Specialist Rehabilitation Unit will replace outdated buildings and allow complementary services to be located under one roof while greatly improving accessibility, dignity and privacy for vulnerable and disabled patients.”
Win Griffiths, Chairman of ABM University Health Board said:
“We are delighted with this very important investment in Morriston Hospital. It will allow us to provide modern and well-designed facilities for patients and staff.”
Source:
Welsh Assembly Government
