A new Same Day Emergency Care Unit (SDEC) has officially opened at the James Paget University Hospital (JPUH) in Gorleston.
The new unit provides emergency medical care to patients without the need for hospital admission, allowing them to be assessed, diagnosed and treated on the same day they arrive. Other SDECs are already in operation at NHS hospitals across the country, with the aim of reducing waiting times and alleviating pressure on busy emergency departments.
The first patients were treated in the JPUH SDEC on Wednesday 29th October and in its first week of operation the new unit has seen more than 450 people.
The SDEC unit was opened by Lady Dannatt, Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk on Tuesday 4 November. Members of the Trust’s leadership and operational staff were also in attendance, as well as representatives from partner organisations in Norfolk and Waveney’s Integrated Care System, including East Coast Community Healthcare, East of England Ambulance Trust, and Norfolk and Waveney ICB.
The SDEC is located behind the main Accident and Emergency Department, in an area of the hospital which once was home to the orthopaedic outpatient services.
Find out more about the JPUH Same Day Emergency Care Unit and what it means for patients here.