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Ward opened to help to relieve winter pressures

BBC Stephen Roberts, a patient at the hospital, has his blood pressure taken by a nurse on the wardBBC
Stephen Roberts was treated on the ward after attending the emergency department

A Nottinghamshire hospital has opened its first dedicated winter ward in 10 years in an effort to combat pressures.

The temporary 28-bed ward at the Queen's Medical Centre is staffed by a multi-disciplinary team drawn from across Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).

Planning for the extra emergency capacity began in July after patients faced waits of up to 42 hours for treatment last winter.

The trust said the initiative was helping to maintain the flow of patients through its hospitals.

Patient Nick Wright pictured on the ward. He is sat between two beds.
The temporary ward will be open for eight weeks

There have been no cancellations of cancer care, surgery, or outpatients' appointments due to winter pressures since the ward opened on 2 January, the trust added.

It will be open for a total of eight weeks, NUH said.

Patient Stephen Roberts waited more than 20 hours for a bed in the hospital's accident and emergency department in October 2023.

The 69-year-old said he had seen the difference the extra capacity had brought to the hospital.

The former taxi driver said: "I think it's good that they've opened this extra ward to keep the pressure off.

"I was brought into the emergency department a few days ago and was in a bed in just over an hour."

Tasso Gazis pictured at the hospital
Tasso Gazis, divisional director for medicine, said "there is still more to do" to continue improving patient care

NUH opened a dedicated winter ward at Nottingham City Hospital in December, and repurposed a ward to treat people with respiratory conditions in November.

Tasso Gazis, the trust's divisional director for medicine, said the hospital was seeing more flu and norovirus cases than in 2024.

But he said it was working "closely with system partners to make sure that people can be discharged as soon as it is safe to do so".

He added there were "around 100 fewer people waiting to leave our hospitals" than at this time last year.

Dr Gazis said: "We have not, to date, cancelled any elective care due to winter pressures – part of that is because of staff going above and beyond, and part is due to initiatives like this.

"If we don't plan the urgent and emergency care correctly then we end up over spilling into all those other areas."

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