Hillingdon Hospital is submitting plans to build a £2 million extension to the hospital's accident and emergency department.

Work on the department could begin as early as next month, pending planning approval from Hillingdon Council .

Plans include building an extension on the front of hospital, facing Pield Heath Road, and relocating the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) to make room for the A&E majors section.

A spokesman for Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Hillingdon’s current A&E footprint is too small for the volume of patients it sees."

A joint A&E and UCC were commissioned in 2013, to treat up to 350 patients per day, however the centre now sees an average of 450 patients a day, extending to over 500 at peak times.

"The restricted space hinders the speed with which patients can be treated and makes it extremely difficult to meet the four-hour waiting time target," said the spokesman.

In February, Hillingdon was the third worst performing trust in London for the government's target that a minimum of 95% of patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arriving at A&E.

Accident and emergency at Hillingdon Hospital

Hillingdon's A&E, which received 12,524 patients in February, managed to see just 79.5% within four hours, with 2,564 patients having to wait for longer.

The English average for the four-hour target was 85%, with none of the major London A&E trusts able to reach the 95% target this February.

As well as extending the building, plans include reconfiguring the fracture clinic, alongside the extension, to make way for the relocated UCC.

The Hillingdon Hospitals spokesman added: "The entrance to the A&E Department will be unaffected and continue to be accessed via the ramp used by both ambulances and pedestrians.

"The new UCC will remain close to the main A&E to enable the trust to continue to provide integrated care for patients."

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Members of the public are invited to comment on the proposal via email to THH.capitalprojects@nhs.net or by post to The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, A&E consultation, Estates and Facilities Department, Hillingdon Hospital, Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge, UB8 3NN.

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