Eastbourne hospital could be getting a new elective care centre to reduce waiting times

Plans have been submitted to Eastbourne Borough Council for the changes to occur in a car park of the Eastbourne District General Hospital in Kings Drive. If approved, the existing modular Polegate Ward building would be demolished and replaced with a three-storey new build. This is in the north of the hospital site.

Plans say: “The brief is to design a building comprising a dedicated day surgery unit with four theatres, recovery, and supporting facilities. The proposed building is designed to reduce waiting lists for Elective Care, by increasing the number of day surgery patients that can be seen each day in an inviting and efficient space with good patient and staff flows. The design in response to the brief will create a new Elective Care Centre with seamless connections to the existing hospital allowing for access to inpatient facilities, if required.

"The proposed building will provide a new Elective Care Centre to reduce of waiting times for elective care by building new, much-needed, theatres to process the back log.”

Plans say the building would have theatres and a dedicated day surgery unit and should allow the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust to have a 30 per cent increase in activity and reduce cancellations. It would also feature a 24-bed ward on the first floor. According to the plans, the proposal will ‘deliver high-volume, low-complexity surgery,’ ‘improve elective care pathways,’ and ‘support improvements in patient safety and experience’.

If approved, the proposed centre will have its own patient entrance, links to the existing hospital building, and a drop-off zone. No vehicular access around the site will be altered and it wouldn’t remove or reduce any pedestrian access, plans say. A separate staff entrance would be provided near to the main building and adjacent to the staff changing rooms.

The plans have been produced through ongoing consultation with the trust’s clinical team. Plans say: “This project will support the deliverability of the East Sussex New Hospital

Programme.”

The target determination date is February 7 next year (reference: 220862).

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