Ward T2 is one of five wards being built in the coming year which will add an extra 116 beds to the Addenbrooke’s site. This additional capacity will help keep the hospital’s recovery from the pandemic on track and help to reduce waiting lists.
[[{"fid":"293542","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Sign for new Ward T2","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Sign for new Ward T2"},"link_text":false,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Sign for new Ward T2","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Sign for new Ward T2"}},"attributes":{"alt":"Sign for new Ward T2","title":"Sign for new Ward T2","style":"float: right;","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]The first patients to be looked after in T2 are all medically fit for discharge but need some form of community support.
Ewen Cameron, Chief Operating Officer at Cambridge University Hospitals Trust (CUH), said: “These extra wards for patients nearing discharge will free up space in other parts of the hospital for those needing higher levels of care, for instance after surgery.
“Keeping a good flow of patients through the hospital means we can recover more quickly from the pandemic.”
Bethany Ricketts, a junior sister and one of the new ward managers on T2, said: “This new unit helps us to ensure we have the right patients, on the right ward at the right time. Currently T2 is a space for patients to feel closer to home and begin their therapy and journey back into the community.
“Having been involved in the planning and staff preparations for the opening of the ward, it's great to see our first patients finally here.”
The new unit will be followed later this year by a further two wards on another part of the Addenbrooke’s site, providing an additional 40 beds.
In the meantime, a further 56-bed ward is being built on a site beside T2. This will have a basement level, linked to the hospital’s underground corridor system, giving quick access to key departments across the Addenbrooke’s site.
Alongside recovery from the pandemic, this additional capacity also enables CUH to better respond as a regional ‘surge’ centre, during particularly busy times in the health system such as winter, or another covid wave, for example.