Emergency Department at University Hospital granted £15 million to increase capacity and further patient care

One of the busiest Emergency Departments in the country has been granted £15 million from the Government to increase its capacity and further enhance patient care.

The A&E department at University Hospital in Coventry welcomes around 150,000 patients per year and serves a catchment area of more than a million people.

An initial cash injection of £3 million was announced by the Government this week, with a written guarantee provided for the remaining funds. This money will contribute towards expanding the Emergency Department and will include a new Minor Illness and Injuries Unit.

Funding will also be used to install additional treatment cubicles, expanding the waiting room in the Children’s Emergency Department, increasing the level of same day emergency care and supporting diagnostic capacity through an additional CT scanner.

All work is designed to complement existing services provided at Rugby Urgent Treatment Centre, available 24/7 at the Hospital of St Cross, and Coventry Urgent Treatment Centre, open between 8am and 10pm in Stoney Stanton Road.

The announcement has been welcomed by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, which manages the hospital.

Professor Kiran Patel, Chief Medical Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are very proud of our Emergency Department and the safe, high quality care we provide for those most in need.

“This welcome and much-needed investment means we can future proof our services and further improve how patients are assessed and treated within our Emergency Department to improve the patient experience.

“We believe these developments will allow us to deliver new, innovative ways of working to help continue to enhance the overall experience for our patients and their families.”

Attendances have increased from 117,282 in 2010 to 152,284 in 2019 – a rise of 29.8%. The funding will be used to reconfigure the Emergency Department to ensure it is able to meet projected demographic growth in the area. The project will be delivered in a phased approach to ensure that patient care isn’t affected, with timescales to be confirmed.