Two Kent hospitals have received £29 million for upgrades to tackle waiting times and reduce admissions to overcrowded wards.
East Kent Hospitals Trust (EKH), which runs the William Harvey in Ashford and the QEQM in Margate, will use the NHS England cash to expand its same-day emergency care (SDEC) units.
Patients have previously been treated on beds in the café at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. Picture: Submitted.
These units allow acute specialists to assess, diagnose and treat patients on the same day of arrival who would otherwise have been admitted to a ward.
It means people with certain conditions can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated. If clinically safe to do so, they will go home the same day their care is provided.
It is hoped the upgrades will improve patient flow and capacity while reducing congestion on wards – freeing up vital space for patients needing to be admitted.
Bosses at the trust say it “will benefit both patients and the healthcare system by reducing waiting times and hospital admissions”.
It will be welcome news to east Kent residents who have seen their A&Es under intense pressure for more than two years.
The A&E department at the QEQM Hospital in Margate
In October, it was revealed almost one in three emergency patients needing to be admitted in east Kent and Medway were waiting at least 12 hours for a bed.
EKH – one of the country’s largest trusts – had the eighth highest number of 12-plus-hour trolley waits in October, with 1,238.
KentOnline exclusively revealed in September how bosses at the William Harvey in Ashford – run by East Kent Hospitals – were forced to turn a coffee shop into a makeshift ward.
While no such incidents have been repeated, there are still growing concerns from patients and visitors over the continuation of corridor care, with some being “left to rot” on wards for months after being declared fit to leave.
At QEQM, an expansion of existing buildings to the east of the hospital is proposed to facilitate the improvements, planning documents submitted to Thanet District Council show.
William Harvey Hospital in Ashford
EKH bosses say this is “urgently needed” to support the creation of a larger SDEC facility, while noting it will not increase traffic as staff within the hospital will be reallocated.
At the William Harvey, all works will be internal – though two new air-handling units will need to be installed to meet clinical ventilation requirements.
Several areas at the Ashford site have been relocated to enable moves for the building works, including the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) moving to the building formerly known as the Paula Carr building.
General surgery outpatients have now moved to the mobile unit in the fracture clinic car park.
At the QEQM, the UTC 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.
If all goes to plan, all works should be completed by summer 2026.