New minor injuries unit planned for hospital
Victoria Hospital, Wimborne (Image: Freelancer)
A NEW MINOR injured until is planned at the Victoria Hospital in Wimborne Minister.
Proposed changes will also improve the existing physiotherapy department.
Dorset Council is being asked to approve a planning application to increase the community hospital’s capacity to meet local demand.
Drawings for the single-storey extension show a new building and a reconfiguration of the existing layout to the side of the main 19080s outpatient centre, opposite the Victoria Road-Cemetery Road junction.
A planning agent for the hospital says the small extension should have little or no impact on any adjoining homes.
Existing landscaping and paths, including the Memorial Garden, will be retained with some realigned to run around the perimeter of the proposed extension.
The new minor injuries unit will have a new, dedicated entrance to the south providing direct patient access to the unit.
It has been designed to provide separate waiting space for adults and children, a multi-bay treatment area, a dedicated children’s treatment room, a triage room and a further treatment room, with a reception and manager’s office, a utility room, toilets and storage rooms. .
The hospital says the unit has been designed to offer maximum flexibility in how it can be used with three private treatment/triage rooms available to allow patient privacy and confidentiality.
At the same time, a three-bay treatment suite will allow the majority of patients to be seen, treated and treated in a curtained bay, similar to an emergency department minor treatment unit.
Documents with the planning application say the combination of private rooms and treatment spaces will provide the opportunity for flexible working and enable the unit to function as an Urgent Treatment Center should the medical need arise.
The new physiotherapy department will be centered around a large treatment suite which will offer both traditional curtained treatments and a small number of private rooms; the existing gym will be renovated and refurbished, and a multi-purpose hand therapy room will be created.
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A new dedicated physio waiting area will be created at the entrance to the department which will reduce pressure on the existing reception and waiting areas.
The conclusion of a report to Dorset Council said: “The result is a high-quality scheme that achieves an excellent balance of existing and new extension. The scheme has been carefully constructed to maintain a good relationship with neighboring properties and the to respect the welfare of protected trees.”
Since its inception in 1887, when it was opened in honor of Queen Victoria’s jubilee, the hospital has undergone many changes and has grown to now accommodate 21 in-patients, as well as an operating theatre, endoscopy suite, outpatient department, physiotherapy department, minor injuries unit and a radiology department.
Public comment on the proposals remains open until February 16 – Dorset Council’s planning reference 2022/07823.
