As part of the NHS’s ongoing commitment to ensure patients get the fastest access to treatment, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) has opened two new emergency service facilities, unveiled by the MP for Tunbridge Wells, the Rt Hon Greg Clark on Friday 13 May.

The event, also attended by MP for Chatham and Aylesford, Tracey Crouch and MP for Tonbridge and Malling, Tom Tugendhat, saw the official opening of the new Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU), located in a new modular building next to the Emergency Department (ED) at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

The SAU is open seven days a week and sees patients who have been referred by their GP or ED because a surgeon is required to assess their condition and treatment.

Inside, the unit houses a waiting area, a clinic room, and a procedure room complete with an ultrasound machine.

During the visit, the MPs were also shown around the new Children’s Emergency Department which opened last month at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, linking in directly with the current main ED and increasing capacity for the Trust’s most urgent patients.

The new ED provides a child friendly environment with facilities for parents, carers and children alongside separate red and green triage rooms to support infection prevention and control protocols. The unit also houses two high dependency rooms, seven examination cubicles and a minor injuries room alongside other services.

Chief Executive for MTW, Miles Scott, said: “Developing our infrastructure to ensure everyone who comes to our hospitals is able to get the quickest access to treatment is our key priority and we’re really pleased to open these new facilities to help increase our capacity to some of our most in need patients.

“Our exceptional teams within our Emergency Departments have experienced some of the busiest days on record within the last year and gone above and beyond to deliver the best possible care during this time. With the opening of these new facilities, alongside our recently launched recruitment campaigns, we’re looking forward to seeing our services continue to go from strength to strength.”