Behind the Building

 

In the sixth of our #BehindtheBuilding series looking at the new Emergency Care Building (ECB), we talk to Meg Walker who is the Lead Nurse for the Future Hospital Programme at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

Can you tell us a bit about your role?

So far it’s involved me working alongside the Future Hospital Programme team and other clinicians based at Derriford Hospital, looking at the whole design process and the designs themselves to make sure that once we’ve completed the ECB it is fit for purpose. Part of my role is also looking at the different ways in which our staff will need to work when we move into the ECB, to optimise patient flow and the care we give our patients. There are a lot of things to consider. 

How did you get involved in the ECB?

I was previously an Emergency Department nurse at Derriford Hospital when this exciting project came about. Given my background of nursing and working in this type of environment, I thought it would be a really good opportunity for me to get involved. I originally started just representing the Emergency Department, but as the project developed, I was then asked to be involved in all floors. It’s been really interesting working with all the different specialities, including theatres, Interventional Radiology and Same Day Emergency Care, especially getting to know their teams and how they work. 

What do you think are the key benefits of the ECB?

The increase in space is really core. We are essentially doubling the footprint of the current Emergency Department, and so we’ll have a lot more space for patients to come into. 

We cover such a large area across Devon and Cornwall and people are living longer, so we’re getting more and more presentations to the Emergency Department. We’re working our hardest to care for patients in the current Emergency Department, but it no longer feels fit for purpose. So having a brand-new building that is fit for purpose is really important to ensure we can deliver the safe care that we all want to be able to provide.

And having that extra space will mean there’s a home for all our equipment. Hopefully we can change our way of working so that the patient journey will be really smooth, and no one will end up in a corridor. Nobody deserves to be nursed in a corridor - I expect myself and my colleagues would all agree that’s not what we signed up to do. It really hits hard not being able to provide patients with the privacy and dignity they deserve. So being able to treat all patients in a more private space is going to be a massive thing. 

Is there anything that you’re most excited about?

For me, a big thing is end of life care. At the moment, when patients have sadly passed away in the Emergency Department, they may be in a side room. It’s not very peaceful and calm, and the lighting’s not particularly nice. I’ve been in too many situations where you’re trying to fit all one family into one small cubicle all trying to grieve and it’s really heartbreaking. We really wanted to make sure that when families come to visit their loved ones and say their final goodbyes, that they have a really nice space for them to do that. So in the ECB we’re going to have a dedicated bereavement suite. I’m going to be working closely with our amazing end of life nurses to ensure we get everything like the lighting and colouring right, to make sure it’s a really peaceful space for families to spend that final time together.

When I first looked at the plans, I also thought about what would be best for our patients and their families. We are a major trauma centre but we currently only have one space for relatives. If you’re having to break bad news to families, it’s really not good practice or dignified to do that in front of lots of other people. So we’re going to have a relatives room that is appropriate to be able to house more than one family, keeping them separate and giving them privacy. 

Are you engaging with patients on the ECB?

We’re trying to gather evidence from patients and their experiences so that we can understand their journey through the department. It’s really important so that we make sure they have the best journey they can. Soon we’ll be encouraging patients and members of the public to get involved and have their say as well. We also want to get local artists involved. We very much see that this new ECB is going to be their building at the end of the day. 

And are you engaging with staff too?

Patients are of course the focus of everything that we do. But equally, the staff are the people who keep the Emergency Department running and without them, we wouldn’t be able to care for our patients. If they aren’t working in an environment they are happy in or where they can’t carry out the jobs they are meant to do, then ultimately they’re not going to be able to provide the care that patients deserve. 

I’m going to be setting up focus groups to get their opinions and input on what they think will work. Obviously certain elements are already fixed like the size of the rooms, but it’s important to get staff feedback on how they want them set up, what equipment they want and even the colouring of the walls. 

I’ve tried my hardest to make sure the ECB will be a space that staff will be happy to work in. Just ensuring that the temperature can be controlled better will make such a difference. Staff toilets will be based on the shop floor, so they won’t have to leave the department to use the facilities. And we’ll have dedicated education rooms, which is of course vital for the team to keep developing and to continue to provide the highest standards of care. 

Hopefully, having done many years of the gruelling work and twelve hour shifts in the Emergency Department, I’m a good representation for the team and I’ll make them proud by being able to provide them with a building they can take pride in.