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Hospital's new emergency department opens

UHD Looking up at the glass entrance to the emergency department. Above the door is a grey canopy with Emergency Department written in raised letters. Between the canopy and the top of the doors is a strip of red glass with Urgent Treatment Centre written on it in white letters. There are numerous trees behind the photographer which are reflected in the glass.UHD
The emergency department is open 24 hours, seven days a week

Bournemouth's emergency department has begun seeing patients in its new, purpose-built facility within the same hospital.

At midnight, the unit at Royal Bournemouth Hospital moved 100m away to the BEACH building.

Both the old and new departments have been operating in parallel overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday to ensure a smooth transition.

Poole's emergency department services remain unchanged.

The new £91m BEACH building, which opened in March, also houses a maternity unit and children's unit.

It is part of a £500m transformation of University Hospital Dorset (UHD) sites.

The emergency department (ED), which occupies the ground floor, has dedicated entrances for patients arriving by foot, car, or ambulance.

A spokesperson said: "When you attend one of our EDs, you will need to book in with a receptionist.

"You will then be seen by a triage nurse who will treat you, refer you to another health care provider such as an out of hours GP or a dentist, or allocate you for treatment in the department.

"Before you attend one of our EDs, please check you are choosing the right service for you."

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