Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have informed us that today, they will announce the phased re-opening of Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E department in June following the temporary changes which were introduced last summer as part of the hospital’s response to the pandemic.
The changes are being made due to the continued reduction in community transmission of COVID-19 and low hospital admissions. They will be done over a three week period in June to ensure a smooth and safe transition.
The department will re-open on Wednesday 9 June as a consultant-led service, seven days a week, 8am – 8pm, but will remain closed overnight.
The overnight nurse-led service will re-open on Wednesday 30 June. This means that from 1 July 2021, Cheltenham A&E will be returned to its pre-pandemic state, in line with commitments agreed with the local Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
To support the re-opening of Cheltenham A&E a number of other services be will restored including medical admissions to the Acute Care Unit (ACU C).
Cheltenham is also set to benefit from a multi-million pound investment in its radiology department which will give emergency patients and patients coming for surgery access to faster, more accurate and better diagnostic tests such as X-rays and MRI scans. The improvement works are scheduled to be completed in the autumn and include three new CT scanners, an additional MRI scanner and a much improved physical environment.
It is hoped that the hospital will now be in a strong position to recover the elective work postponed during the pandemic.