East Thanet MP Polly Billington has visited the site of the new Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) emergency department in Margate.
During the visit, the East Thanet MP said she was excited to see the new unit nearing completion, as part of efforts to tackle long A&E waits and to improve patient care across Thanet.
The unit, and similar improvements at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, is being created with £28.9 million in government funding as part of the plan to invest in the NHS and transform patient care in Thanet and across the country.
The support being provided to QEQM is part of a £215.5 million package to 40 sites across the country, including 10 new urgent treatment centres (UTCs), four expanded UTCs, five new same day emergency care (SDEC) services and 21 expanded SDECs.
The investments aim to ease pressure on A&E departments by ensuring more patients are treated in the right setting, reducing A&E waits and ensuring patients get faster care.
At QEQM the first phase of the build was completed in November. The second phase of the build is due to be finished this summer.
At QEQM, the Urgent Treatment Centre has been moved to the Sarre building. Other major moves have included outpatient therapies (which were in the Sarre building) relocating to Walmer A, and a new rehabilitation gym has been created.
SDEC units allow acute specialists to assess, diagnose and treat patients on the same day of arrival who would otherwise have been admitted to hospital.
Under this care model, patients presenting at hospital with certain conditions can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward, and if clinically safe to do so, will go home the same day their care is provided.
Ms Billington said: “I hear regularly from people in East Thanet about experiences of emergency care that simply aren’t good enough, especially when it comes to long waits at A&E, so it was fantastic to visit the site of the new SDEC facility – a huge investment in getting our NHS in Thanet back on track.
“Despite the hard work of brilliant hospital staff, QEQM just hasn’t kept pace with the improvements we are seeing across the country, which is why more targeted support is essential for delivering the transformation we need to see in our NHS in Thanet.
“This expansion of urgent care services is a vital step toward fixing our emergency department and ending corridor care at QEQM for good. I look forward to this new unit opening its doors later this year.”
East Kent Hospitals Trust, which manages hospitals including QEQM, says creation of a “Same Day Care Village” at the QEQM Hospital will increase capacity within the emergency department.
By increasing the number of patients being seen under four hours (type 1), this will improve performance and lead to better quality care and the experience for patients.
Des Holden, acting Chief Executive at the Trust, said: “The SDEC project has improvement of patient outcomes and delivery of quality care at its heart – reducing waiting times and corridor care.
“We are ambitious for the future of our services and the care we provide for our patients. All our staff are involved in helping to deliver efficient and sustainable services, and find different ways of working that deliver national standards and improve the experience for local patients and families.”
Work at both hospital sites got underway last Autumn and is led by 2Gether Support Solutions.
Used this SDEC facility the weekend before Easter, fantastic service ,and the staff cannot be praised enough ,absolutely brilliant people even down to the lady that sorts out tea etc, Virtually all services in a small area.
Did Polly put the kettle on?
Brilliant Peter !
That made me laugh-Good joke.
I am amazed the absentee MP appeared somewhere! I’m sure local Labour representatives were able to give her guidance and direction to where she needed to go, as you couldn’t expect a parachuted in labour MP to know where local medical care is provided!
I hardly think that “absentee” is an appropriate description.
Andrew – she’s appeared which means elections on horizon! Waste of space from London.
Calling Polly Billington an absentee MP needs evidence. She has only been MP since July 2024, and there is public evidence of parliamentary work, committee work, local visits and constituency campaigning. If you think she is not visible enough locally, that is a fair criticism to make, but ‘absentee MP’ is a strong claim and should be backed up with more than political dislike or disagreement.
Who would you like to be our MP instead?
thats the same person that recently voted AGAINST an enquirey into the rape gangs in the uk , does she realy believe starmer is going to look after her ? they are all on borrowed time , then she will vanish from thanet just like they all do once the job has been lost.
I can’t wait for the dirty Starmer n billington to get out I’m considering restore Britain got to be better than this pair so called idiots they wouldn’t put their necks on the line and go war.
Restore Britain are not standing thousands of candidates. They are not even standing hundreds. Officially, they appear to have 0 candidates under the Restore Britain name, and their backed local vehicle is contesting about 10 seats out of 5,066 — roughly 0.2% of the English local council seats up for election.
There are also reports of 13 Restore-aligned independents in Sheffield, but those are not listed as Restore Britain candidates on the ballot.
Restore Britain is a political grift, designed to keep the more unhinged right wing elements away from Reform, so Reform can appear to be slightly more legitimate.
Not a regular at qeqm where is sarre unit
My wife needed to go to A&E last week. She was triaged quickly and sent to the UTC unit where she was seen by a doctor in less than 15 minutes. After being assessed she was transferred to the SDEC unit in Quex ward. It was really busy but we have nothing apart from praise for the staff who were all professional and lovely. Her problem was fully diagnosed and medication given and sent home. A doctor phoned the following morning to check that my wife was ok. Fantastic service without the stress of waiting in A&E for hours on end.
After 14 years of NHS neglect under the Tories great to see labour beginning to turn things around for the better.
Bob – grow up and stop blaming former government for today’s woes. The present government worse known on record for lies, lies and more lies and ruining our country!
A lot of things like hubs etc haven’t just happened they’ve bvv BBC wen in the planning do a few years , so don’t blame the throes for everything.
This woman would turn up to the opening of an envelope.
Only if there’s a camera!
This labour government have done a great deal of good things for this country already but you won’t see any of it reported in the right wing press and fedupb if you think that austerity,Boris johnson Brexit and Liz truss were good for this country you need your head checked.every time the Tories get in it’s another mess the labour party are left to clear up .
Bob – what planet are you on! Borrowing under this bunch of clowns known as Labour Party, now reached 28 year high! Please do your homework before silly comments.
Liz truss mini budget cost the country 30 billion and you think the labour party are incompetent .thank god nobody’s going to vote conservative again after the last 14 years of total disaster.