New Children's Emergency Department opens on NHS 75 Birthday

On the day the NHS turned 75, emergency nurses and doctors welcomed their first patients in to a fantastic new children’s emergency department (ED) at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

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 more than 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: “After months of planning and building, it’s fantastic to welcome patients and families in this amazing new department.

"We are really proud of the vibrant and colourful space for our incredibly hard-working team to care for our young patients and their families.”

Jacqui Tilbury, Emergency Department Technician, who has been part of WHH’s ED team for more than 20 years spoke movingly at the department’s opening: “Seeing the new department is like a dream come true. It’s such a special moment for our patients and the whole team.”

The team spoke about the department’s benefits with Meridian TV before it opened and you can watch Meridian’s story on their website.

Cat added: “Huge thanks to all the hospital teams involved, and to Bauvill, for their attention to detail, and to East Kent Hospitals Charity for generously funding the wall art and our fantastic 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.