We have big plans for Scunthorpe Hospital, where we are extensively refurbishing and modernising our existing buildings and creating new, purpose-built facilities.
Everything has been designed in consultation with our nursing and clinical teams to ensure they have what they need to provide you with the very best care, both now and in the future.
Heart of our plans
At the heart of the project are exciting plans to build a new multi-million pound Emergency Departments in Scunthorpe and Grimsby.
Work on the £30-million development – which is being funded by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care – is well underway.
The new unit is being built on the site of former office blocks and a car park area on the Cliff Gardens side of the site and will include:
- An increased waiting area to cope with demand and social distancing requirements
- A dedicated play area for our younger patients
- Additional flexible use cubicles, that will make it easier for us to see patients more quickly, whatever their needs
- A dedicated ambulance bay, which will reduce the time it takes to transfer patients into our care
We’ve also built a new single-storey decked car park off the Church Lane entrance to the site.
The lower deck is for public car parking and includes four disabled spaces and four charging points for electric vehicles.
Building on our legacy
Unfortunately, in order to provide these improved facilities, we have had had to demolish some of our older buildings, including the Courtyard Block and Administration Block.
This decision wasn’t taken lightly but, ultimately, our priority will always be to give you the best possible care and these buildings just weren’t up to the task any more.
The Administration Block formed part of the original Scunthorpe and District War Memorial Hospital.
The iconic archway at the entrance is not only synonymous with Scunthorpe General but also commemorates those who lost their lives fighting in the First World War.
Our teams spent a lot of time looking at how we could best preserve as much of their heritage as possible, exploring every possible option.
Our first priority had to be making sure the medical facilities in the new unit are the best they can be, and we were not prepared to compromise on that.
However, we believe it’s only right that this memorial to their bravery and sacrifice is saved and incorporated into the new building. Find out more about this and the other ways we’re preserving our heritage.
More to come
Once the new Emergency Departments are complete, we will begin work on converting our current A&E department into a new Acute Assessment Unit (AAU).
This new unit will be staffed by expert clinicians in a wide variety of disciplines.
This will allow us to diagnose you more quickly and get you on the right course of treatment, without necessarily having to admit you to a ward first in order to access this expertise.
This will help us to reduce the number of people we admit and the amount of time you’re likely to spend in hospital but you’ll still receive excellent standards of care.
The £24.86 million for these units was announced in 2020 and, following the approval of our final business case, is now being released to us to funds the next stage of the works.
We have also recently completed the £4.88 million scheme to extend our MRI suite and are delighted to have welcomed our first patients already.
We’ve also invested a further £3.5 million in replacing our fire alarm system and making vital improvements to our water infrastructure.
Environmental health
It’s important to us that we’re not only here to treat you when you’re ill but that we help to prevent you from becoming ill in the first place.
Reducing carbon emissions has significant health benefits, as poor environmental health contributes to a number of major conditions, including asthma, cancer and heart health.
We have secured funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to implement significant energy efficiency measures across our sites.
At Scunthorpe we’re using this to put in a – literally – ground-breaking new geothermal heating system to replace our aging steam boiler.
We’re also installing additional solar panels, improving insulation, upgrading our windows and Building Management System and installing LED lighting.
This work is in line with our Green Plan and the national Greener NHS Strategy.
What’s happening now?
Emergency Department
Much of the activity is now inside the building, where the team is hard at work creating the internal layout.
Geothermal heating plan
Drilling work on the exploratory boreholes for our planned geothermal heating system is now complete.
If you’d like to know more or have any questions or comments for the team, please get in touch.
Ward refurbishment
We’re refurbishing Ward 25, creating 14 single, ensuite rooms – including two isolation rooms, complete with their own lobby – and we’re hoping to have it finished by the end of August.
One of the key requirements of the works is that every patient, in every room, is visible to our clinical staff, helping us to monitor your care more easily.
There will also be plenty of storage, a quiet room, doctors’ room, donning and doffing areas, utility areas and office space – as well as a staff room and changing areas.
I’m coming to Scunthorpe Hospital – what do I need to know?
Get all the latest information on parking
Pedestrian access
Pedestrian access on the Cliff Gardens side of the site has been impacted by the hoardings being installed to keep you safe during the build. To safely get to outpatients, please don’t walk in the road, as you may impede access for ambulances and emergency vehicles. Instead, please carry on down the pavement outside the hospital site and follow the signs to the designated crossings from the car park.
