A new Acute Cardiac Care Unit has been created at Warrington Hospital merging the former cardiac ward C21 in Croft Wing with the Coronary Care Unit located in Appleton Wing.  The new combined unit is now located at the former ward A3 and enables the concentration of cardiac specialist staff, facilities and equipment for the seamless treatment, recovery and rehabilitation of patients living with heart problems.

The new unit cost £725K and work started in August taking 18 weeks, with the first patients transferred in this month. The eight-bedded Coronary Care Unit and 18-bedded Ward C21 are now co-located within the footprint of A3 which previously housed 34 beds. The unit has been adapted to create two 3-bed bays and two single side rooms for the CCU part of the ward and three 5-bed en-suite bays and three side rooms for the ward area.

The new CCU zone benefits from a large nurse base which offers greater observation of bed bays while at the same time retaining patient privacy and dignity between male and female patients. The unit is fully air conditioned and benefits from adjustable lighting and designated quiet spaces to create a calming environment.

As well as the significantly enhanced care and experience benefits for heart patients, the former ward C21 has been released as a potential winter ward to allow the Trust to flex upwards as bed pressures increase during the winter period. However, the plan after winter is to develop a state of the art midwifery-led maternity unit alongside our existing delivery suite to offer greater choice to women in pregnancy.

Professor Simon Constable, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Medical Director said:  “We have long wished to locate all of our acute speciality wards in the hospital’s main ward block, close to Acute Medicine, Radiology and the Emergency Department.  The Estates team have done a fantastic job within the confines of our ageing estate; and our specialist cardiac and support teams are delighted with the new environment and purpose built space within which to treat our patients.  The Trust Board approved the investment of £750K in these challenging times which is absolutely the right thing to do for our patients.”

Formally opening the unit today, Mayor of Warrington Councillor Karen Mundry and the Trust’s Chairman Steve McGuirk toured the unit and met staff and patients.