Unit at Pinderfields Hospital to move to allow for A&E upgrade
Plans have been approved to move the therapies and psychology unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield to make way for the major upgrade.
A hospital unit is to be relocated to a former council-run care to enable it’s A&E department to be upgraded.
Plans have been approved to move the therapies and psychology unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield to make way for the major upgrade.
In February this year, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust announced it had been awarded £9m from NHS England to help ease pressure on urgent and emergency care services at Pinderfields.
Wakefield Council this week gave the go-ahead to the trust’s plans to transform Queen Elizabeth House in Eastmoor into a medical facility to accommodate around 80 NHS staff.
The trust bought the building, which is located around 450m from the main hospital site, for just under £1m after the council put it up for sale last year.
The property on Queen Elizabeth Road ceased operating as a care home a number of years ago and was used as a vaccination centre during the covid pandemic.
The building is to be repurposed to create 19 new consulting rooms and other facilities including therapy rooms, staff changing rooms and offices.
Plans also include increasing car parking to allow space for 78 vehicles, as well as demolishing a substation, garages and other buildings at the site.
A planning statement submitted on behalf of the trust said: “A need has been identified for more space at the existing Pinderfields Hospital to accommodate an expanded A&E department.
“The applicant has been searching for buildings within the locality that are appropriate for the relocation of the therapies and psychology unit in order to free up space in the existing hospital building.”
The document said a range of professionals, including physiotherapists, speech therapists, dietitians, and psychologists, would be based at the new facility from Monday to Friday.
Health chiefs previously said they planned to create a new acute medical floor at Pinderfields by relocating the medical same day emergency care unit to a purpose‑built space alongside the acute medical unit.
The move was intended to improve patient flow, reduce delays and enable faster clinical decision‑making.
As part of this transformation, the trust said patients arriving through A&E would benefit from a newly developed unit which would provide access to senior clinicians.
Other departments, including gynaecology and obstetric services, were also expected to be relocated within the hospital site to make way for the expansion.
Catherine Cotton, the trust’s chief operating officer, said at the time: “This investment represents a major step forward for urgent and emergency care at Pinderfields.
“By redesigning our pathways and creating modern, purpose‑built environments, we can ensure patients are assessed more quickly, receive safer care and experience fewer delays.
“This is a transformational programme that will improve care for our communities and support our staff with the facilities they need to deliver the highest standards.”