Renovations and construction to expand the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s (QEH) day surgery department are progressing well and will certainly have a positive impact on Islanders who require day and elective surgeries, says Minister of Health and Wellness Doug Currie during a visit to the hospital.
“The role of the QEH is important in our ability to provide health care services that meet the growing and changing needs of Islanders. This physical expansion at the QEH will increase space and provide better access to surgical services for Islanders,” said Minister Currie. “As minister, I am pleased with the progress made to date on this initiative, and our government continues to work towards better access and better care throughout our entire healthcare system. By expanding our capacity, this initiative provides us the ability to address our wait times in various surgical services and provides increased access for Islanders, two priorities for our department.”
Site preparation work began last November and included significant demolition within the hospital’s former emergency department to prepare the space for new interior construction, renovations and integration with existing day surgery and supporting service areas.
“Completing the site preparation work is a significant step forward for this portion of the project,” said David White, Director of Support Services and Redevelopment for the QEH. “We are very pleased with the progress so far and look forward to beginning the interior construction which will bring the design plans to life.”
Renovations and expansions of the hospital’s Pre-Surgery Clinic, Day Surgery Department, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and Ophthalmology Surgical Suite are the final part of the first phase of the QEH’s Redevelopment Project. Physical expansion of these services was identified as a priority given that current physical spaces can no longer meet the demand for day surgery services.
“The QEH provides health care services for Islanders from all regions of the province. As we build this new Day Surgery Department, we are building it to meet the needs of Islanders not only for today, but for future generations,” said Minister Currie. “This part of the QEH Redevelopment Project will help ensure we do that by laying a foundation to improve access to day and elective surgical services.”
Renovations and expansion of the Pre-Surgery Clinic, Day Surgery, PACU and Ophthalmology Suite are expected to be complete by the spring of 2014.
BACKGROUNDER
The existing combined footprint of the Pre-Surgery Clinic, Day Surgery, PACU and Ophthalmology Surgical Suite is approximately 6,000 square-feet.
The renovated and expanded combined footprint of these services will be approximately 21,000 square-feet.
The additional space will be acquired by expanding services into the hospital’s old emergency department which is being renovated as part of the project.
The renovated spaces will feature:
• Additional consultation rooms in the Pre-Surgery Clinic will allow for more anesthesia assessments, pre-rehabilitation consults and other pre-surgical consults and teachings.
• Additional patient care spaces in Day Surgery will improve timely access to the service and allow for improved continuity of care, as post-operative patient recovery will take place within the Day Surgery Department as opposed to the current practice of post-operative patient transfers to the surgical nursing unit,
• Increased number of patient care bays in PACU from 10 to 18 will ensure efficient transitioning of elective and emergency surgery patients from the operating room to the recovery area post-surgery minimizing delays in the operating room due to patient congesting in PACU.
• A new post-operative caesarian-section patient care bay will be designed to ensure appropriate privacy allowing new mothers to spend time with their baby and partner right after birth, which has been demonstrated to be important for bonding and breastfeeding.
• A separate and dedicated Ophthalmology Surgical Suite will allow timely access to cataract surgery and reduce overall wait times.
• Enhanced infection prevention and control measures such as increased number of isolation rooms and availability of washrooms will reduce the risk of cross-infection of diseases such as superbugs.