Securing almost £29 million in funding from NHS England, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust plans a major expansion of its Same-Day Emergency Care (SDEC) facilities across the region. This is a substantial investment.
The planned upgrades will focus on two hospitals: the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate and the William Harvey Hospital (WHH) in Ashford.
Officially, the total funding package is £28.95 million. Trust officials believe this money will fundamentally change the way acute patients are treated across East Kent. The main goal is to offer fast diagnosis and treatment. This is expected to significantly cut the number of patients requiring unnecessary overnight hospital stays. Officials state the expansion is a crucial step to tackle congestion in emergency departments and improve the overall flow of patients, particularly ahead of challenging winter periods.
Understanding the Same-Day Care Model
SDEC is a key pillar in the NHS’s ongoing efforts to modernise urgent care services.
Acute specialists will assess, diagnose, and treat patients – all on the day they arrive. This approach means people can be safely discharged home quickly, which is crucial because it immediately removes the need for an inpatient hospital bed.
SDEC pathways are used for patients who need urgent specialist attention but don’t require full admission. For example, this includes stable cardiac conditions, DVT (deep vein thrombosis), or specific infections. By diverting these individuals away from traditional inpatient wards, the SDEC expansion is set to boost the Trust’s operational capacity and lessen the burden on primary emergency areas.
This funding forms part of a much wider, ongoing multi-million-pound programme. The overall objective is to enhance the quality of the emergency care environment in East Kent.
Construction: Phases and Timeline
Building the new SDEC units is a significant construction project, requiring careful planning. This ensures clinical services can keep running effectively at both Margate and Ashford.
At the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, the necessary preparation work has already been finalised. This involved moving the existing Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) into a new, dedicated building.
A similar relocation took place at QEQM Hospital in Margate, where the UTC shifted to the Sarre building. These strategic moves were essential to create the space required for the expansion of the new SDEC facilities.
The Trust anticipates that these expanded SDEC units will be fully operational by summer 2026.
Improving Outcomes and Efficiency
Once completed, the new units are expected to provide larger physical spaces and better specialist resources for patient assessment. This promises a marked improvement in the clinical environment.
Speaking on the overall transformation, Liz Shutler, Deputy Chief Executive of the Trust, previously gave a clear statement: “Our nurses, doctors and build teams have worked hard to design a much bigger and better space to treat some of our sickest patients.”
Specifically, the SDEC development includes creating special zones for rapid assessment. This ensures patients receive targeted care instantly upon arrival, helping staff manage a greater number of patients more efficiently.
Increased use of the SDEC model should lead to a measurable drop in the number of patients needing admission to acute wards. This frees up valuable hospital beds for individuals who are critically ill or need complex surgery, lowering stress across the entire hospital system.
Strategic Rationale
This investment shows the NHS’s lasting commitment to strengthening key front-door services across the country. The East Kent Hospitals Trust serves a large population of over 700,000 residents. It has faced significant performance difficulties in its urgent and emergency care services in recent years.
The SDEC model itself is a key policy goal defined in the NHS Long Term Plan. Its design intentionally shifts care away from traditional hospital admission approaches towards specialised, proactive treatment methods.
In parallel with the SDEC work, the Trust has also upgraded other emergency infrastructure. At QEQM, for instance, this includes a new children’s emergency department and a modern resuscitation area with updated bays for managing the most critically unwell patients.
Expanding these departments and adopting the SDEC model represents a vital step forward. This ensures East Kent Hospitals can provide safe, high-quality care to its growing number of emergency patients.
During the construction period, the Trust has advised visitors and patients to allow extra time when going to QEQM and William Harvey Hospitals, as some services are temporarily relocated. The final outcome, however, is projected to be a substantially improved and larger clinical environment for the entire regional community.
