Anneliese Dodds MP Visits £11m Urgent Care Project at John Radcliffe Hospital
Oxford East MP tours the new facilities being developed to improve patient access and staff collaboration.
By Laura Medhurst
••2 min read
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Generic image of a modern hospital building with a new wing under construction.
Anneliese Dodds MP visited the John Radcliffe Hospital on Friday 16 October to tour the site of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's (OUH) £11 million Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) project.
The project aims to transform unused space on Level 1 of the hospital into new facilities designed to expedite patient care and enhance staff collaboration. Construction began earlier this year, with phased openings anticipated from spring 2027, subject to continued progress.
A significant component of the development is a new 51-bed Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) for adult patients, with a focus on older individuals and those with complex needs. This unit will offer short-stay assessment and treatment, enabling healthcare professionals to deliver care more swiftly.
In collaboration with community services like Hospital at Home, the project is expected to reduce patient length of stay and facilitate care closer to home where appropriate. The programme also includes relocating the existing Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) to a larger space adjacent to the Emergency Department, allowing it to treat patients with minor illnesses and conditions that can be managed outside the main Emergency Department.
For children and young people, plans feature a dedicated observation area for short-term monitoring outside the Paediatric Emergency Department, alongside new cubicles designed for patients with mental health concerns. Additional space for same-day emergency care (Extended Emergency Medicine Ambulatory Care, EEMAC) will allow more adult patients to be assessed, treated, and discharged on the same day.
It was fascinating to see the Urgent and Emergency Care project first-hand. It will create state-of-the-art facilities which will make a huge difference for local patients. It was especially heartening to hear how the new facilities will help those with complex needs and older people to get the joined-up healthcare they need. I'm grateful to the OUH team and the contractors for showing me around, and wish them all the best for the next phase of the project.
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"It was a pleasure to welcome Anneliese to OUH. This urgent and emergency care project is a huge investment for the Trust, and will make a significant difference to patient and staff experience when receiving and delivering this kind of care."
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"It was great to meet Anneliese and show her what we are doing as she has been very supportive of this project. We are now looking forward to welcoming her back to see this new facility when it opens next year."
