Work starts on new £900,000 unit at Conquest Hospital

Work is starting on a new expanded Ambulatory Emergency Care (AEC) unit at Conquest Hospital. SUS-190807-172457001

The unit will provide same-day emergency care for ambulatory patients who don’t require an overnight stay in hospital. It is expected the work will be completed on the new £900,000 unit in October.

The unit will offer patients rapid access to diagnostic tests and review by hospital consultants in one place, according to the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT). It will provide safe care designed around the needs of patients providing them with a better experience and preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.

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Dr Athanasios Nakos, consultant physician, said: “Our experience has shown that the principles behind an Ambulatory Emergency Care Unit work. The purpose of the unit is to diagnose and treat patient quickly to get them home when they don’t require a stay in hospital.

“This new unit when completed will help us cope with increasing demand and improve the flow of patients through the Emergency Department.”

The new AEC will be much larger than the old unit, with eight patient treatment areas and two treatment rooms for assessments and procedures, according to an ESHT spokesman.