A newly refurbished area of the Intensive Care Unit at Queen’s Hospital Burton has now opened as is caring for acutely unwell patients following £5 million of improvement works.
The area, known as ‘Pod B’, has been expanded from 10 to 14 beds with the inclusion of two additional isolation units which allows patients carrying infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, to be effectively isolated to reduce the spread of infection.
New equipment, such as monitors, has also been installed, with each patient bay also having sufficient space to allow for effective rehab as well as television to improve patient experience.
Dr Paul Smith, Intensive Care Consultant at Queen’s Hospital Burton, said: “The real estate we had at Burton was quite old so this has been really welcome and I hope we’ll be able to care for patients in a much more efficient way.
“The population is getting older and so unfortunately, people are becoming more acutely unwell, and Critical Care enables us to look after patients who are unwell. Moving forward, we will be able to deliver a high level of care for both medical and surgical patients at Queen’s Hospital Burton.”
Mevish Perveen, Sister on the Intensive Care Unit, said: “Seeing it all done is really good. Staff know we’re working in a really state-of-the-art department with new monitors and facilities. There are also really good rehab opportunities for patients as there is more space in each bay to 
allow it.”
The neighbouring ward, Ward 14, which was used as an overflow area of ICU during the peak of the pandemic, has also been refurbished, as well as the staff room, which has been converted into a break and learning area. Store rooms and non-clinical areas, such as offices, have also been relocated into a new modular building next the unit.
Dr Smith added his thanks to the team on Ward 14 for their help during the construction work: “We have had to take over Ward 14 over the last two years and this has been a major challenge for the nursing and divisional teams. We are very grateful for their help as that has enabled these works to happen, so a big thank you to those teams.”
Executive Medical Director and Deputy CEO, Dr Magnus Harrison, said: “This is fantastic news and I am sure that the new facilities will provide reassurance to patients in the immediate future as we continue to fight COVID-19, but also beyond that. These facilities ensure patients will continue to receive the best quality of care in the years that come.
“The last couple of years have been incredibly tough on our colleagues, and those working in ICU have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic, providing high quality care in the most challenging of circumstances. I want to thank each and every one of them for their continued hard work and dedication as we continue to battle this virus and for working so hard through the construction works. The new area of ICU looks fantastic and I’m sure it will make a huge difference to colleagues and patients alike.”
Please take a few moments to watch the following video presentation about the re-opening…
