A new hospital unit which cuts waiting times and seeds up patient treatment has won a government award.

The Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn was shortlisted for three awards in the Government Property Agency's Smarter Working Live awards, a scheme which recognises transformation programmes in government-owned workplaces.

The SDEC was launched to help reduce pressure on the Trust’s Emergency Department and the ambulance service, by streamlining the initial assessment and admission of patients, enabling them to get the treatment they need quickly. The unit sees an average of 60 patients a day, providing a fast service and shorter waiting times waiting times.

The SDEC team were successful in the Best Use of a Solution award, and were runners-up in the Efficiency in the Property Portfolio and the Special Recognition categories.

QEH chief executive Caroline Shaw said: “The team have worked so hard to create such a successful and streamlined service - this award is hugely deserved and reflects the meaningful changes we are making across the hospital to continue on our improvement journey.

“I want to say a huge thank you to each and every member of our staff for making the SDEC such a success.”

Steven Boyd, chief executive of the Government Property Agency, said: “The competition in this area has been extremely tough and the standard of each nominee’s project has been excellent. Well done to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Host of the awards, Lucy Porter, said: “The creation of the Same Day Emergency Care Unit project was an ambition driven by a team of nurses and consultants to transform how A&E was run. After several trials and a change of leadership, funding for a new unit was given in 2019, and in eight weeks turned into a shiny clinical area. Truly pioneering work.”