It can accommodate up to 30 patients who are ready to be discharged
Only three weeks after its construction in the grounds of Hull Royal Infirmary (HRI), a new temporary discharge lounge has now opened to patients. The facility offers a comfortable area for 30 patients ready for discharge, creating room on the wards to admit new patients and helping to “improve flow” through the hospital.
Operations director, Matt Overton, said: “The new Patient Discharge Lounge will enable patients to be transferred from the ward to a comfortable fit-for-purpose lounge while they await transport, releasing the bed on the ward promptly to enable the next patient to move up to the ward supporting better patient flow through the HRI site.
“This has been a large-scale project, with a fast turnaround, so thank you to the Site Management team, Discharge Care Group, the Estates, Capital and Facilities team, Security and the Digital team for all your hard work in bringing it together.”
With room for six trolleys, eight recliners and 16 chairs, another advantage of the new facility is its ground floor location, unlike the previous Discharge Lounge which was situated on H1 in the tower block. Head of patient placement, Anne Broadhurst, said: “As the lounge will be back on the ground floor, we hope that this will also speed up the process for our partners in the ambulance service who are tasked with collecting patients for their journey home.”
This temporary space will be used until the construction of the planned new Lansdowne Building is completed, which will accommodate the permanent Discharge Lounge along with space for a group-wide Care Coordination Centre alongside the Discharge team. The third floor will offer space for ED and Major Trauma consultants, placing them in much closer proximity to the department.