Upgrade for Armidale's Emergency Department
23 April 2010
Armidale Hospital’s emergency department will be upgraded in coming months to create an expanded patient waiting room and treatment spaces.
Work begins early next week, and will deliver an expansion of the waiting room and triage area, a new mental health safe assessment room, new public toilets and new staff facilities.
Armidale Hospital Health Service Manager Dona Withnell said the upgrade would allow staff to deliver care to patients in a more comfortable setting.
“This year we’ve had a good look at the emergency department and the important services we provide,” Ms Withnell said.
“Our observations revealed that the emergency department needs some changes to allow our staff to provide the best possible care, including the care we provide to people with mental health concerns.
“The new mental health safe assessment room will be a separate room from the rest of the emergency department treatment area, and will be a place where our staff can safely assess patients who may have a mental health condition.”
This work is being funded through Caring Together, the NSW Government's response to the Garling Inquiry's recommendations into acute care services in the State’s public hospitals.
“The Garling Inquiry has identified that a number of mental health safe assessment rooms across the state require work to allow us to provide the best possible care,” Ms Withnell said.
“So it’s great that we now have the capability to make that change in Armidale.”
Work on the refurbishment is expected to start early next week and will continue until early July 2010.
“The emergency department will be fully operational during the staged refurbishment.”
All of the building work will be done behind a temporary wall, to ensure patient and construction areas are kept separate and to control dust created by the work.
Ms Withnell said Armidale Hospital has firm plans in place to ensure the hospital can respond efficiently to a potential disaster while work is being completed in the emergency department.
“We have reviewed our disaster plan and our pandemic influenza plans to ensure that we can deliver the required care to our patients should we see an increase in patient presentations as a result of a disaster, or suspected influenza illness,” Ms Withnell said.
Ms Withnell said the refurbishment was good news for both patients and emergency department staff.
“We’re very pleased that we have the opportunity to improve our facility to create a more functional and comfortable emergency department for our patients and our dedicated emergency department staff.”
Contact: Emma Gibbs
Phone: 02 6767 7137