£9m A&E Department Opens At Antrim Hospital

A new £9.2m Emergency Department (ED) has opened at Antrim Area Hospital.

The new facility offers state-of-the-art emergency services and supports a recent £5m investment in a 24-bedded unit and a new Medical Records department.

The new ED will be able to facilitate up to 90,000 people each year and at 2450sq metres, is more than double the size of the current department.

The new department is equipped with the latest innovations in design and technology to provide patients with high quality, safe services. It includes a dedicated waiting area for children, triage, examination rooms, a minor injuries unit, majors (Adult and Paediatrics), ambulatory care, resuscitation beds, an X-ray suite, CT scanner and isolation facilities, as well as a full range of supporting accommodation. There are also designated rooms for gynaecology, neck and head injuries and bariatric patients.

Additional nurses have been recruited to help staff the department and familiarisation training has been taking place over the last number of weeks.

Welcoming the new facility, Health Minister Edwin Poots said: "This is great news for the local community. The construction of this new emergency department and ward marks the beginning of a new era for Antrim Area Hospital. These modern facilities will ensure that patients have improved access to safe, sustainable services for the long term.

"I would like pay tribute to the nurses, doctors, and other healthcare and ancillary workers and administration staff who have worked tirelessly in sometimes very difficult conditions to provide the best care possible for the people of this area. This new facility will provide for all staff to deliver a better service to the public in the future.

"I am confident that we are on the right path to developing a health and social care service which will be sustainable into the future – one which focuses on meeting the needs of our local communities and individual patients and service users."

(JP/CD)