New multi-million pound intensive care unit to open at Hull Royal Infirmary with pandemic isolation beds

The trust has said that the new ICU will provide patients with some of the best critical care facilities in the country and will also help to cope with any future waves of Covid-19.

The new three-storey building is being built at the East Yorkshire hospital.

The £8m unit will be able to host 24 patients and it is hoped that two new trauma surgery theatres can open on the top floor of the block.

Chief Executive Chris Long said: "It is testament to the hard work and dedication of our critical care teams that we will be able to take our place at the forefront of critical care in the country and to our Estates team for driving this project in these challenging times.

"This new unit will be a very welcome addition to the outstanding care we can provide people in critical need of emergency treatment, not just here in East Yorkshire but across our wider region.

"It will enable us to save more lives, provide patients and their families with better facilities and ensure we are in the best possible position to deal with any future waves of the virus or, indeed, any other pandemic in the future."

Patients will undergo life-saving treatment in glass-front cubicles, double the size of the cubicles in the two existing ICUs in the tower block.

The building has been built to be as energy-efficient as possible and will be fitted with negative air extraction systems to assist infection prevention and control.

Duncan Taylor, Director of Estates, Facilities and Development at the trust, said: “This is a fantastic facility which will help us provide the best possible care for our most seriously ill and injured patients well into the future.

“We undertook months of careful planning and design, working hand-in-hand with our clinical colleagues, to design the unit, using our wealth of experience of the pandemic to provide the cutting-edge facilities our teams will need.

“We are confident our new Intensive Care Unit will serve our staff, our services and our patients well for decades to come.”

The foundations for the new 24-bedded ICU were poured in the first week in January with critical care teams expected to move into the new building ahead of the arrival of the first patients in August.

While plans are still awaiting final approval, the top floor of the unit is likely to include two new trauma theatres, with six to eight recovery beds to monitor patients in those critical first few hours after surgery.

__________

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.

Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.