York Hospital in the UK has officially launched its expanded and revamped emergency department.

The opening ceremony took place on 7 July and was led by Margaret Locker, a Senior Sister who has served the NHS for more than 52 years.

Completed in 20 months, the two-storey expansion entailed an investment of £18m.

It features an eight-bedded resuscitation area, 12 assessment and treatment cubicles, and a remodelled waiting area with separate facilities for children.

The upper level of the extension houses a spacious area for same-day emergency care, allowing patients to receive treatment and be discharged without hospital admission.

These new facilities aim to reduce wait times, improve the quality and timeliness of urgent treatment, and facilitate faster patient transfers from the ambulance service.

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust emergency medicine consultant and clinical lead Steve Crane said: “We’re really looking forward to being able to use these fantastic new facilities, for the benefit of patients using our emergency and urgent care services.

“The environment for care is much better and we are hoping to reduce the time patients must wait, as well as improving the quality and timeliness of urgent treatment. 

“It will also help our partners in the ambulance service by reducing the time taken for them to transfer patients to us and get back on the road.

Construction was carried out by Kier Construction, marking 20 years of alliance with the Trust.

The expanded department began receiving patients on 10 July 2023.