Our newly expanded Rapid Assessment and First Treatment (RAFT) area has opened in the Emergency Department (ED) at Queen’s Hospital, providing space for eight additional bedded bays, and a ‘fit to sit’ area for up to six patients.

An important factor in the new design, which has seen us better utilise the space available, is relocating the staff base to the middle of the room, giving medical teams greater oversight of all patients (pictured).

It was the first project funded through the £4.1million we received from a £300m government pot to upgrade emergency departments.

This expansion will allow our teams to care for more patients, safely, during the ongoing pandemic, speeding up treatment times meaning a better experience for our patients, and improving our performance against the national four hour standard for seeing and treating patients within that timescale.

It will also help reduce the time it takes for ambulance crews to handover patients, another challenge during the pandemic.

Our next project will involve providing Point of Care Testing (POCT), allowing a range of tests to be carried out in our ED, leading to quicker diagnosis and treatment for our patients. This work will also provide a new staff room for our ED team, including enhanced changing facilities and showers.