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PRESS RELEASE: 29 September 2005

Why build the EAU?

One of the UK's biggest cranes drops in at Addenbrooke's

One of the UK's biggest cranes will be at Addenbrooke's Hospital from Friday 30 September until Saturday 8 October, lifting 68 modular units over A&E into the site where the new Emergency Assessment Unit will be created.

The crane being constructed

Restricted access to the site
This means that there will be restricted access to the site. The main drive of the hospital will be closed for the duration of the works. Only ambulances and patients for A&E, and disabled drivers will be allowed up the drive. For the duration of the work, access to the main drive will be strictly controlled, and two-way traffic flow will operate whilst the work takes place.

There will be no direct pedestrian access to the hospital main entrance via the main drive. Pedestrians approaching from Hills Road or the Addenbrooke’s bus station will be re-routed via the Outpatients Department (between 0800 hrs and 2000 hrs) or anticlockwise around the hospital ring road, approaching the main entrance from the direction of Car Park ‘J’ the main hospital car park.

Disabled parking will be suspended on the main drive and under the administration bridge adjacent to the main entrance. Disabled patients can be dropped off at Outpatients but will then be required to move off to a patient and visitor car park. The ground floor of car park ‘F’ has been allocated for blue badge holders.

The Addenbrooke’s Shuttle will not call at Bus Stop E – the main entrance bus stop – it will be re-routed to Bay ‘D’ of the bus station.

Taxis will be advised to drop off and pick up on the south side of the hospital, at the James wards entrance.

Additional staff will be on hand on hand to assist with traffic management and parking, but some additional congestion will be unavoidable. We will endeavour to keep this to a minimum.

Regular ‘travel updates’ will be given to all local radio stations.

The crane towers over the hospital buildings

An exciting new project to re-organise emergency care
Addenbrooke’s currently has two ‘front doors’ for emergencies - the Accident and Emergency department and the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU), situated at opposite ends of the hospital.

The new EAU will provide one ‘front door’ for patients where they will be assessed by an integrated multi-professional team including doctors, nurses and other staff who will make early decisions about treatment and care.

Every year the hospital treats more and more emergencies. To keep pace with this increase, and to concentrate emergency facilities in one place, the new four-storey Emergency Assessment Unit will be built beside and incorporating the existing A&E department. All patients will be assessed by a specialist team of doctors, nurses and other staff who will make early decisions about treatment and care. This will enable us to decide whether patients can be discharged, managed within the new unit or need a specialist opinion of possible admission to the main hospital.

A module is lowered into place

Features of the new unit
• Medical and surgical short-stay wards and assessment units for both adults and children.
• Improved access to radiology (x-ray) facilities and rapid pathology testing (for samples like blood and urine).
• Rapid access clinic facilities for emergency patients.

The unit is planned to open in early 2006.

end

For further press/media information contact: PR & Communications Department, Box 53, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ; Tel: 01223 274 433; Fax: 01223 257 143; Minicom: 01223 274 604.