While service disruption will be kept to an absolute minimum, it will mean that a new entrance will be created for urgent and emergency drop-offs as well as those arriving by ambulances.
In early 2020, funding was announced to support a proposed enhancement, expansion and development of urgent and emergency care facilities at Bassetlaw Hospital.
With works due to commence in the coming weeks, the final project will see the site’s Children Assessment Unit co-located with the Emergency Department, offering 24-hour urgent and emergency paediatric care, all housed within a new extension to the Worksop hospital.
Enabling works are already well underway as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) roofing panels, dating back to the 1970s, are currently being replaced, and this project will run initially concurrently with the creation of the new area within Bassetlaw Hospital.
In the coming days, visitor’s car parking located near the main entrance will be closed temporarily to allow for a temporary new entrance road and path to the Emergency Department to be created off Blyth Road, with appropriate drop-off and ambulance access for patients. Signage will also be placed in the main entrance of the site to direct patients, visitors and staff to appropriate car parking facilities, as well as entrance ways.
Additionally, the current outpatients car park and entrance will temporarily close. As such, patients and visitors to this service will need to make use of the Clinical Therapies entrance which is just around the corner or alternatively the maternity entrance which will bring you in at ground level. This will be appropriately signed.
Finally, a new car park has being constructed at the north of the hospital site which is to compensate for the loss of visitors parking at the main entrance. New accessible parking has been created from existing parking bays outside of Clinical Therapies and the Maternity entrance.
The Emergency Department and current Children’s Assessment Unit at Bassetlaw Hospital will remain operational whilst construction gets underway, as will all other services, and patients are asked to attend as usual.
It is anticipated that the project will take around 12 months to complete.
The project is being overseen by the Capital Planning Unit, which is part of the Recovery, Innovation and Transformation directorate.
Andy White, Head of Capital Infrastructure, said: “This is an incredibly exciting project, and one which we have been developing for a long time. Please bear with us while we make the necessary changes to our site and attend services as normal taking care to note some of our new entrance ways.”
In the coming weeks, the Trust will share plans, impressions and appropriate guidance regarding the new layout of the site and related parking, and all of this will be viewable on www.DBTH.nhs.uk
