A £30M grant to expand Swindon’s A&E has been branded the best Christmas present ever by Great Western Hospital’s strategy chief.

Kevin McNamara, director of strategy, hopes the £29.6m government cash will help GWH’s emergency wards cope with an almost doubling in demand since it opened in 2002. Around 90,000 people visit A&E every year, up from 48,000.when the hospital was built.

GWH is one of 75 NHS trusts to have been given a slice of £1bn funding by the department of health and social care.

The money will be used to expand the A&E and buy a 5.5 hectare plot adjacent to the main Marlborough Road hospital site for a new rehabilitation facility.

'Best Christmas present ever'

Mr McNamara said of the grant: “This is the best Christmas present ever. It’s something we’ve been working on for quite some time developing the case to show Swindon needs a bigger emergency department and to expand capacity."

Modelling work by managers at GWH suggests they need an extra 60 to 80 beds by 2028. Demand for inpatient beds will increase by around 30 per cent over the next decade as Swindon expands and the population ages.

"If we didn't do anything, in 10 years time we would need 240 more beds," Mr McNamara said.

"For us, this funding is a big light at the end of the tunnel.”

Kevin McNamara

The funding allows GWH to reorganise the configuration of emergency wards in the hospital. The acute medical unit will be moved from the third floor to the ground floor by A&E, cutting the time staff spend running between the wards. Bosses say it would also improve patient's experience at A&E.

GWH managers want to purchase a field adjacent to the hospital over which they currently hold the option to buy. They hope to develop an intensive rehabilitation service on the site, with therapists and doctors supporting patients in their own homes.

The hospital expects to spend around two to three years developing the business model and getting planning permissions for the changes.

GWH will also need to find around £15m to help fund the works. The overall cost of the project is anticipated to be £45m, with £30m pledged by government.

MPs welcome cash injection

Last night, Swindon MPs welcomed news of the new funding.

Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon, said: “Having consistently lobbied my colleagues in government with Justin Tomlinson in support of this bid, this is great news for Swindon residents.”

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson added: “I am delighted that we have secured this important investment in GWH.”

Who else has got cash locally?

Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group has won £16m for an integrated care centre in Trowbridge. Bristol North NHS Trust has been given £1.6m for 12 additional beds and disabled bathroom facilities. A new primary care centre in Weston-super-Mare will receive £3.2m.

New unit opens next week

A new ambulatory care unit will open on Monday.

The unit will treat patients referred by GPs who do not need to be admitted to a ward, but need specialist treatment before they can be discharged.