Two new wards open to ease winter pressures

Wards P2 and Q2 are two of five new wards to be built as part of a plan to add 116 beds in total to the Addenbrooke's site.

This additional capacity comes as Cambridge University Hospitals Trust (CUH) faces significant winter pressures alongside the Covid pandemic.

The first patients to be looked after in P2 and Q2 are all medically fit for discharge but need some form of community support in place before leaving hospital.

Senior sister Bethany Self leads the nursing team on the new wards. She said:

“Creating more space to care for patients who will soon be discharged means more beds in the main hospital for people who need more complex and urgent treatment. It’s all about the flow of patients through the hospital and meeting the huge demand we currently have for emergency admissions.”

The wards are located opposite the Rosie Hospital and are being staffed by the team from T2, the first new ward opened in June as part of the expansion plans. This means T2 has closed for now but with the extra beds on P2 and Q2, capacity has increased overall, by 17 beds.

Dr Ewen Cameron, chief operating officer and consultant gastroenterologist at CUH said:

“There is no doubt we are under intense pressure this winter, with emergency patients coming through A&E, while we also treat Covid patients and do our very best to reduce waiting lists for planned surgery, delayed by the pandemic.

“These two new wards will make a significant difference."

A further 2 wards with a total of 56 beds are being built on a site beside T2. This will have a basement level, linking up to the hospital’s underground corridor system, giving quick access to key departments across the Addenbrooke’s site. This is expected to open in summer 2022.

At the same time, CUH has a strong recruitment drive underway. 583 new staff will have joined the Trust by the end of March 2022 across adult care, midwifery and paediatrics. In the next financial year the Trust is looking to recruit 615 nurses.