Modernising our Hospital Newsletter: September 2023

Maintaining the safety of our site

Many of you will have seen that Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) has been high on the news agenda in recent weeks following the Government announcement relating to the closure of some school buildings across the country. You will all be aware that RAAC is in much of our estate here at the QEH so the associated issues with this form of concrete is something we’re very familiar with.

We would like to reassure all patients and their families that we have a robust rolling installation programme of steel and timber support props and ‘failsafes’ to maximise safety for our patients, visitors, and staff. We have a team of skilled engineers carrying out daily structural checks across the hospital. We appreciate it can be disconcerting for our patients and visitors when they see and hear building work taking place during their visit. Teams across the Trust are doing their upmost to keep disruption to a minimum while still delivering the highest possible levels of care.

Thank you for engaging with us!

Last month (August 2023) we hosted the first round of engagement sessions as part of a roadshow across West Norfolk and parts of Cambridgeshire for residents to hear more about plans for a new state-of-the art Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

Thank you to everyone who attended to find out more, asked questions and told us what matters most to you in a new QEH.

For those who weren’t able to attended, we’ve published slides and some frequently asked questions on our new hospital website.

There’s still chance for you to tell us what matter most to you in a new QEH – simply click the link and complete this form.

We will be hosting more of engagement events as we move forward with plans so if you missed these sessions please do keep an eye out for future events.

Digital modernisation programme continues

As well as progressing building works onsite, we are also focusing on our digital modernisation programme.

Earlier this year the QEH was given the go ahead for a single Electronic Patient Record to be implemented across Norfolk and Waveney’s three acute hospitals to include the QEH, James Paget University Hospitals and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals. This collaborative project is moving at pace now we have appointed a supplier for the new system.

This project will transform how we deliver care and work across these Trusts. It will further improve safety, efficiency, the overall experience for our patients. Keep an eye out for further updates on this project as it moves forward.

On a more local level we are continuing to roll out the introduction of electronic observations on some of our wards after several successful pilots. These automatically send and record vital stats from our patients so we can monitor their condition more effectively. The introduction of this technology has been well received as a more accurate way to work. We’ve also introduced digital smart monitors to help manage patients during their stay, and these are designed to improve the efficiency of care we give.

Keeping updated

If you were unable to attend one of our in person sessions you can keep updated on all our developments with information available on our website dedicated to the new hospital at www.newqeh.org.uk or please get in touch by emailing newhospital@qehkl.nhs.uk.

If you know someone who would like to receive regular updates about how we are modernising our hospital and the progress with our new hospital plans, please ask them to email us using the email address above and we will add them to our email list.