Health minister Stephen Hammond praised Hampshire Hospitals’ efforts to improve emergency care when he paid a visit to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital.
Mr Hammond was given a special tour of the emergency department, including the new Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU), which ensures that younger patients are cared for in a purpose-built area, away from adult patients.
He also saw work taking place in the waiting area to create new facilities that will allow patients to be assessed sooner and visited the respiratory ward, cardiology department and neonatal unit.
Mr Hammond said: “It was excellent to see first-hand the great work Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is doing, particularly in its care for younger patients, with the fantastic new paediatric assessment unit, which was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care’s winter financial support, up and running.
“The hospital’s focus on improving emergency care – a drive that is shared in the NHS Long Term Plan – was evident in the improvements to the emergency department to help treat patients more effectively, as well as the determination that I saw from staff.”
Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Basingstoke hospital, as well as hospitals in Winchester and Andover, added: “We were really pleased to welcome the minister to our Trust and show him how we have been able to use the money we were allocated by the Department of Health and Social Care to make a real difference to our patients.
“We have lots of ideas about other projects that would make a real difference to our patients across our Trust and will continue to apply for Government funding to make these a reality.”
