A specialist unit for children coming into the emergency department at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital has been officially opened
The Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) in Basingstoke is part of the improvement works happening across Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and ensures younger patients are cared for in a purpose-built area, away from other patients in the department.
The emergency department is now seeing more young patients than ever before and the PAU, which has been operational from the end of January, has already been shown to support emergency department and paediatric staff in delivering high-quality care to patients.
Katrina Mason, clinical matron for the emergency department at Basingstoke hospital, said: “We are so excited to be able to use our new Paediatric Assessment Unit as a dedicated space for younger patients who come into our emergency department.”
Building a new specialist unit required the hard work and dedication of team members from different disciplines from across the Trust. During a special ceremony held to mark the opening of the PAU, non-clinical members of the team were celebrated and got the chance to see first-hand the positive difference their hard work has made.
Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals, which runs Basingstoke hospital, as well as hospitals in Andover and Winchester, said: “Our new Paediatric Assessment Unit is already proving to be beneficial to our patients, and it’s been fantastic to bring together all of the staff who have made that happen.
“It takes a whole team to ensure we are delivering outstanding care to our patients, including clinical staff, team members from estates, our domestic teams and more. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in delivering our new Paediatric Assessment Unit and our emergency department and child health teams for delivering high-quality care in this new specialist unit.”
The opening comes as the emergency department at Basingstoke hospital received feedback from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an unannounced visit. Inspectors visited the department just after the severe snow and it was one of the department’s busiest days ever, with more than 230 patients coming through the doors compared to an average of 170.
Inspectors saw how improvements had been made across the department and staff were praised for their compassion towards patients, who told the CQC they felt listened to and that staff considered their views and opinions.
Areas that require further improvement remain a priority for the Trust, and the emergency department team are working hard to deliver consistently high-quality care to every patient.
