Temporary relocation of A&E patient waiting room at Queen’s Hospital Burton
The A&E patient waiting room for adults and children at Queen's Hospital Burton (QHB) is temporarily moving while we complete some essential construction work to improve our A&E department.
From Friday 31 January, the usual waiting room will close and patients who require A&E support will need to book in at the temporary waiting room 'A&E Waiting', located past the Helpdesk, next to WH Smiths in the old blood clinic room.
The route will be clearly signposted with blue and white arrows, and colleagues will be available to help patients navigate the change.
The construction work will improve our A&E with a purpose-built waiting room designed to meet the growing demand for services, and a dedicated minor injuries pathway to assess and treat patients with a minor illness or injury.
Dr Venkata Thungala, Emergency Medicine Consultant and Assistant Clinical Director for Emergency Medicine at QHB, said: "Patient safety is always our priority and we will continue to provide the same level of care and support to our communities from the temporary waiting room.
"Demand for urgent and emergency care at Queen's Hospital Burton is growing every year, and we care for around 7,000 patients each month in our Burton A&E department.
"Our dedicated team are always exploring ways to improve the experience we provide to our patients and this redesign will support us to deliver high quality and timely care."
The temporary waiting room will be used until the construction work has completed, which is planned for April. Ambulance access to the hospital site during this time will not be impacted.
The temporary waiting room is smaller, so while we understand some patients will want to bring someone to support them, please be respectful that seating should be available to patients who require clinical care first. At times of high demand, in line with our current policy, visitors may be asked to wait in another area to create space for patients (this does not apply to vulnerable people who require support, or parents or guardians of children).
To support this change, the blood clinic has also relocated to a building located behind the Treatment Centre >. All patients who access the clinic are required to book through a system called Swift Queue, and regular reminders are being shared with instructions on how to find the new location. If you arrive by car, enter the site at Entrance A (opposite the petrol station) and use Car Park 1. The blood clinic is located behind the Treatment Centre.
We are working hard to minimise the disruption to patients and appreciate your understanding as we make these essential changes to improve our facilities.