A new rapid assessment unit has opened its doors to patients at Good Hope Hospital. The £3.2m development is the culmination of over a year’s work by consultants, nurses, nurse practitioners and managers and is purpose-designed to provide rapid initial assessment and management of adult patients who are referred from the Emergency Department or their GP.

And yesterday, the new Acute Medical Triage and Assessment Unit (AMU) was visited by the hospital’s new Chief Executive, Dame Julie Moore.

The multi-disciplinary team of staff will make sure that each patient is placed in the right care setting for their needs and the unit will increase both assessment and short stay capacity and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

The bright and spacious 34-bedded unit has four areas:

• Triage – rapid initial assessment and management of patients referred from general practice.
• Assessment – to identify the best place for ongoing care; which could be discharge (with proper support and expert care), transfer to short stay, ambulatory emergency care or an inpatient stay.
• Ambulatory emergency care – for patients who don’t need an overnight stay.
• Short Stay – for patients staying in hospital for less than 72 hours.

Said Dame Julie Moore, Chief Executive of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Good Hope Hospital: “The AMU looks great and I know how hard the team have worked to make the new development a reality. I’d like to say a big thanks to everyone who has been involved in ensuring our patients will benefit from the rapid initial assessment and care the AMU will provide.”

Dr Arne Rose, Medical Director at Good Hope Hospital said: “This is a crucial development for patients at Good Hope Hospital. Our team of consultants, nurses, nurse practitioners and managers have worked really hard for over a year to make it happen. It delivers more space, a much improved environment for both patients and staff, and overall, a better experience for our patients.”