Along with most NHS hospitals, we have seen a significant increase in demand for our services in recent years.

Wexham Park’s old emergency department (ED) was designed to see up to 300 people each day but in recent years was seeing closer to 400 per day.

The new ED is about one-third larger than our old facility and is located alongside specialist medical and surgical assessment units. This will ensure patients are assessed, diagnosed and treated swiftly and safely, and many won’t have to be admitted to hospital.

The emergency department (ED) occupies the entire ground floor of the building.

There are 30 single 'majors' rooms, eight resus rooms and 10 assessment rooms, giving patients improved privacy, as well as separate children's and minors areas. 

The ED space is better organised to allow our staff to work efficiently and effectively.

The first floor of the building holds a 26-bed and eight-trolley acute assessment unit for up to 24-hour stays, plus a 20-cubicle ambulatory emergency care unit with a mix of beds and treatment chairs.

Level two, for stays of up to 72 hours, includes a 34-bed short-stay medical unit and a 16-bed short-stay surgical unit.

The top floor is for staff areas and equipment rooms.

March 2019 
The acute assessment unit (AAU) for patients who are expected to be ready to go home within 24 hours opens on Saturday 9 March.
With space for 26 beds and eight assessment trolleys, it is located on the first floor alongside a new 20-cubicle ambulatory emergency care unit (AECU) where appropriate patients can be assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted overnight.

February 2019
The first services in the EAC open on 23 February as patients move into the medical and surgical short stay units on the second floor.
Surgical patients transfer from the Christiansen Unit within the main hospital and some medical patients move from Ward 8, which remains open as a smaller, 24-four unit until that also moves into the EAC in early March.

February 2019
We continue hold exercises to test our readiness before the first services move into the building at the end of the month. These include major incident scenarios and testing our CBRN (chemical, biological, radiology, nuclear) plans.

January 2019

Building work is complete and developer Kier officially handed the EAC to the Trust. Commissioning and training is under way ahead of the opening of the second floor short stay unit at the end of February.

August 2018:
The covers are off! Plastic sheeting has been removed from the exterior of the hospital and visitors can now get a clearer view of how the completed building will look.

July 2018:
The floors are going down and the first furniture is going in. It's starting to look like a hospital.
  

May 2018:
The main building is watertight.

March 2018:
Staff help us to choose the best patient trolleys, bedside cabinets, chairs and IT kit when we hold a two-day equipment fair featuring a range of suppliers.
 

February 2018:
Wexham Park staff due to move to the new building take part in an ongoing series of tours to see how work is progressing.

January 2018:
Developer Kier holds a 'topping out' ceremony as the build reaches its highest point. The Mayor of Slough is the guest of honour at the event, which was also attended by the trust's project scheme and hospital staff.

April 2017:
Building work gets under way after Department of Health gives its final approval to the scheme.

December 2016:
Slough Borough Council grants planning permission for the new combined emergency department and assessment centre.