Progress on building our new 38-bedded rapid assessment ward at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, is moving ahead at pace. The unit will be made up of nine 4-bedded bays and two single rooms.
Patients will be admitted to the new rapid assessment ward via their GP or through A&E at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

The new ward will act as a central hub to support emergency patient flows by pulling patients out from A&E, receiving GP medical referrals, treating patients in a timely way, facilitating their discharge and directing appropriate patients onto specialist wards.

The unit will have three core functions:

• Ambulatory care – managing conditions that are recognised as national best practice in an Ambulatory Care setting
• A rapid assessment area enabling GPs to admit directly to hospital avoiding A&E therefore reducing the number of hand offs in the patient’s journey, increasing efficiency and improving the patient experience
• A short stay area for patients with an expected length of stay less than 48 hours

By having these three areas contained in one ward, medical and nursing staff will be able to work more efficiently; improving patient flows through the hospital and reducing length of stay.

The new unit is due to open in early January 2016. It forms part of the Trust’s planned response to increases in demand for emergency care.

A Trust spokesperson said: “Having recognised last year that capacity demands are increasing, planning started to develop a new 38-bedded ward at Tunbridge Wells Hospital. This work is well underway and we aim to open this new ward early next year (2016).”