Worthing Hospital set to develop new £3million respiratory ward

The £3 million investment will see the new respiratory ward open early next year, following the refurbishment of 774m2 of administrative space on the first floor of the East Wing into a new clinical area.

Dr Katrine Steele, lead respiratory consultant, said: “We’re feeling buoyed by the investment in the department.

“We have of course been very involved in the delivery of Covid care and so this is welcome good news at a time when we’re all feeling tired.

“The new ward will improve patient care and enable us to provide specialist treatment in a purpose-built modern environment with better facilities.

“It’s a great step forward for the department and will support us to develop other services too, including pleural and home ventilation services.”

With an aging local population, the hospital has been seeing increasing numbers of acutely unwell respiratory patients.

To address this, the new ward provides space for enhanced medical care for the department’s sickest patients.

Dr Steele added: “We’re excited about the potential for a high dependency respiratory area within the ward where we will be able to improve the care of patients with chronic respiratory conditions and severe infections without transferring them to other critical care areas.

“As a result, we hope to provide better continuity of care and improve outcomes for these patients too.”

The respiratory ward development is part of the trust’s strategic masterplan and will, in time, enable the development of a new, larger Critical Care Unit closer to Theatres and A&E in the hospital.

Robert Cairney, Group director of capital development and property, said: “We’re delighted to be starting stage two of the trust’s strategic estate masterplan for Worthing.

“This £3m investment is a key step forward that both improves and expands our clinical estate.

“For example, the new ward will provide negative pressure isolation facilities for the first time in Worthing and it is a significant enabling project for the construction of a new Critical Care Unit.”

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