Patients using Basildon Hospital’s Emergency Department will benefit from faster assessment and treatment thanks to a £6 million investment.
Half of the funding will be used to more than double the size of the hospital’s Rapid Assessment, Triage and Treatment area.
The area, known as RATT, is where patients arriving at the Emergency Department can be quickly assessed. The current three assessment bays will be replaced with eight new, larger bays.
The extra space will help clinical teams start tests and treatment sooner. They will also be able to refer patients to other services more quickly when needed.
Helping patients get care sooner
The improvements follow similar work at Southend Hospital, which opened in March.
The larger assessment area at Southend has helped improve ambulance handover times and patients’ experience when they arrive at the Emergency Department.
Work at Basildon Hospital is expected to start in September and be completed by spring 2027. The Emergency Department will remain open while the work takes place.
We have already seen the benefits of bigger assessment facilities at Southend Hospital. Increasing our ambulance handover and assessment capacity at Basildon will help cut waiting times, improve patient flow through the Emergency Department and ensure people receive care more quickly.
Maimuna Mushabe, Interim Chief Executive of Basildon Hospital
This will make a huge difference to our patients and our staff. It means we will be able to give the care we want to deliver in a place that’s fit for modern healthcare practice.
Basildon Emergency Department Matron, Danielle Stephenson
A further £3 million for a new roof
The other £3 million will be used to replace the Emergency Department’s 20-year-old roof.
The new roof will help protect clinical areas from water damage and bad weather. It will also provide better insulation and lighting and use a more sustainable covering.
The work is part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s wider programme to improve urgent and emergency care across its hospitals.