GWH staff held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open its new Urgent Treatment Centre.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked one of the biggest milestones for the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in recent years.
The new UTC building, which has been delivered by IHP, has additional clinic rooms and more space in both the adult and paediatric waiting areas. It also homes new plaster and ophthalmology rooms.
Designed with input from patients and staff, the UTC is said to be inclusive and accessible for all; with the Trust’s first ever changing places facility for children and adults with disabilities, block colour pallets for patients with dementia, lowered reception desk access for wheelchair users and a sky ceiling to bring the outside, in.
The centre is said to use calming colours, a nature theme in the children’s waiting area, and displays artwork donated by local children, depicting their NHS hero.
Kevin McNamara, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: “Last week, we officially opened our new Urgent Treatment Centre – a modern, fit-for-purpose building which will enable clinical teams to treat patients in the best possible environment.
“We successfully bid for £15m of national funding to help get us started, but today wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support along the way of a number of people and organisations.
“It’s well-known that the health and care system is extremely busy and has been under significant pressure for some considerable time. Last year here at GWH we saw more than 117,000 attendances in urgent and emergency care.
“Whilst we know that a new building won’t solve the issues the system is experiencing, it does give us the chance for our fantastic multi-disciplinary teams to work together with colleagues from across the health and social care system to try to give patients the care they need it when they need it, and in the right place.”
The UTC will open its doors to the first patient on Wednesday, 13 July and will be open 365 days a year, from 7am – 10pm for patients to book in, closing at midnight.
Local people are encouraged to call NHS 111 in the first instance, with trained operators who can advise of the appropriate healthcare option and book in for a timed appointment at the UTC if needed.
Dr Satinder Mann, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Lead for the UTC, said: “I know there will be significant benefits for the patients using this new space. Recovery starts at the door and creating an environment that feels less clinical and more welcoming and calming will have profound positive impact on all who will attend.”
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