UHBW receives funding to expand urgent and emergency care services in Weston

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston (UHBW) NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded almost £5million from NHS England to expand urgent and emergency care services at Weston General Hospital (WGH).

The expansion will mean more patients in North Somerset can receive treatment for conditions that can be rapidly diagnosed and treated and can go home without being admitted to a ward.

The WGH Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC) opened in 2023 and has cared for over 7,000 patients so far. Of all of these patients, 95% were able to go home on the same day they received treatment.

The new investment will mean the SDEC unit in Weston-super-Mare can be expanded to treat even more patients more quickly and reduce unplanned and longer than necessary stays in hospital.

Judith Hernandez del Pino, UHBW Hospital Director at WGH said:

“Matching services to the needs of the community is key, and this huge investment will benefit many people in Weston and North Somerset.

“This investment will enable us to support a greater number of patients who can come to us, receive treatment and go back to the comfort of their own homes to recover with their loved ones.”

Dr Jim Portal, UHBW Clinical Chair at WGH, said:

“The increased SDEC capacity will have benefits for the wider emergency department and inpatient wards, increasing overall hospital capacity and improving hospital flow, which we believe will, in turn, benefit the communities we serve and the patients we care for.”

Work will begin as soon as possible, with the plan being to complete in autumn 2024.