Just three weeks after being constructed in the grounds of Hull Royal, our new temporary discharge lounge is now open to patients.

Here we are able to provide comfortable space for 30 patients who are ready to be discharged, freeing up space on our wards to admit new patients and helping to improve flow though the hospital.

Operations Director, Matt Overton, said: “The new Patient Discharge Lounge will enable patients to be transferred from the ward to a comfortable fit-for-purpose lounge while they await transport, releasing the bed on the ward promptly to enable the next patient to move up to the ward supporting better patient flow through the HRI site.

“This has been a large-scale project, with a fast turnaround, so thank you to the Site Management team, Discharge Care Group, the Estates, Capital and Facilities team, Security and the Digital team for all your hard work in bringing it together.”

With space for six trolleys, eight recliners and 16 chairs, another benefit of the new facility is that it is on the ground floor, rather than the Discharge Lounge’s previous home on H1 in the tower block.

Head of Patient Placement, Anne Broadhurst, explained: “As the lounge will be back on the ground floor, we hope that this will also speed up the process for our partners in the ambulance service who are tasked with collecting patients for their journey home.”

This temporary space will be in use until we are able to complete the construction of the planned new Lansdowne Building, which will house our permanent Discharge Lounge along with space for a Group-wide Care Coordination Centre – helping us to manage the demands at all five of our sites – alongside space for the Discharge team.

The third floor will provide space for our ED and Major Trauma consultants in much closer proximity to the department.