New Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit
We have been earmarked £100m from the New Hospital Programme to build a brand new Emergency Department (ED) and Critical Care Unit (CrCU).
The new ED and CrCU is being built on part of the site of the former Damers School building. This would be demolished to facilitate the expansion. The new building would link to the existing hospital.
Emergency Department (ED)
The layout for the ED will be reconfigured to work better, with dedicated areas for a majors, minor, paediatrics and patients experiencing difficulties with their mental health. There will also be an ambulance offload and fast assessment area.
Patients will access this facility via a new entrance off Damers Road, with short-stay parking provided.
Critical Care Unit (CrCU)
This is where seriously ill patients receive specialist care. We are building a 24-bed Critical Care Unit including a paediatric space. The unit will sit directly above the new Emergency Department.
A state-of-the-art rooftop helipad, funded by the HELP Appeal Charity, will be included as part of the scheme. It will allow a patient to be transferred quickly and comfortably via a lift directly into the hospital, maintaining their privacy and dignity.
Our new CrCU will sit directly above the new ED. It will increase capacity from our current 11 beds to 25 beds and include a paediatric space.
The existing ED and CrCU will remain open until the new facility is built, with the space being repurposed once services have relocated. A link corridor will connect the new building to the main hospital.
DCH Charity’s £2.5million Appeal is raising funds for enhanced facilities to make patient care and staff wellbeing even better in the new ED and CrCU. You can read more about the appeal on the DCH Charity website.
New helipad
The helipad will be relocated onto the roof, with ambulance parking situated on the site of the old helipad. The new helipad is being funded by the HELP Appeal charity.
Our helicopter landing site has temporarily moved to the Army Reserve Centre site on Poundbury Road to allow enabling works and construction of the new Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit to take place.
Improving vehicle flow and emergency vehicle access
As part of the build, a new access route off Damers Road has been created to enable ambulances, service vehicles and patients to reach the department with ease. It will decrease congestion by improving vehicle flow into the site and prevent conflict for ambulances on arrival. We also plan to develop a dedicated drop-off area and increase the amount of short-stay parking by the new department once it is built.
While construction is underway, public access to the current ED has changed. Read more about how you can access the existing Emergency Department.
Construction update – Autumn 2025
The ground floor concrete slab has been completed and the first building columns are being poured. This means we will really start to see the new building emerge from the ground over the coming months as our contractor Tilbury Douglas begins to construct the concrete frame. The building is due to open in 2027.
