Getting ready to open our new children’s Emergency Department

Final preparations are underway on the brand-new children’s emergency department at William Harvey Hospital, which is due to open to patients in early July. 

This is the latest phase of a £30 million expansion of the emergency departments at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

The jungle-themed department has six large new treatment rooms, isolation and triage rooms, dedicated facilities for patients with mental health needs and an infant feeding room.

With walls painted by local graffiti artists, and over 300 interactive games that can be projected onto the waiting room floor and walls, the department has been completely redesigned with children in mind.

Cat Miller, matron for the children's emergency department said: “It’s fantastic to see our department expanding and to have a vibrant and colourful area for our incredibly hard-working team to care for our young patients and their families.

“Huge thanks to all the hospital teams involved, and to Bauvill, for their attention to detail, and to the East Kent Hospitals Charity for generously funding the wall art and state-of-the-art interactive games system. This will not only ease anxieties of children but will be a vital piece of equipment for assessment.

The final phase of the department’s transformation will see ten more majors cubicles open later this year, almost doubling the existing majors area, and more staff facilities.