CONSTRUCTION work has started on £2m improvements to the A&E department at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

This will be the first phase of plans to improve A&E, with a new waiting area being created with more modern and comfortable facilities.

A spokesman said: “The building work is expected to continue into spring and, during that time, there will be an alternative entrance to A&E that will be clearly signposted.

“The Night Entrance/Exit for patients visiting other areas of the hospital from 9.30pm to 6am will no longer be A&E and will switch to ‘Entrance A’, which is to the right of the main entrance under the bridge.”

The work comes after emergency attendances at the Liverpool Road site more than doubled in the past 36 years.

In 2017/18 NHS figures show there were 78,826 attendances – a rise of 10,642 over the five years since 2012/13.

The new 400 square metre extension will be tagged onto the south side of the existing building and include a new entrance, waiting area, children’s area, ambulance bay and canopy.

Existing car parks will also be expanded to provide 135 new spaces, 54 of which would replace those lost in the expansion project.

Bosses say road alterations will be introduced to help the flow of traffic, which can often hold up blue light ambulances coming onto the site.

The extension is being funded by a £2m grant from the Department of Health and Social Care.

Chief Operating Officer Lorraine Burnett said this week: “Our A&E has been in desperate need for refurbishment for some time and with funding we have been given access to this year we’re finally able to start this work.

“We want to deliver a top quality A&E that our patients and staff deserve, but while construction is ongoing we would ask people to please bear with us and use the temporary access points.”

And Consultant Dr David Wilson added: “This is a great opportunity for the Emergency Department to improve the patient journey by creating a more spacious and comfortable environment for them to wait in.”

The second phase of the A&E project will use the space left behind in the existing department to improve the experience for patients as they move through the department.

* Using the Night Entrance: There is a map of the hospital on the wall on the right hand side as you walk through Entrance A, with a key to use this map on the left hand side. The new Night Entrance/Exit is ‘G1'.

For more information on the plans visit www.cohh.nhs.uk