A mobile clinic is helping to expand A&E capacity at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. 

The building, from Vanguard Healthcare Solutions, is helping the hospital to cope with COVID-19 patients and annual winter pressures. 

Providing additional assessment and treatment space, primarily for minor injuries, it is open seven days a week and is located in the car park opposite the main entrance to the A&E department.

The building contains a reception and patient waiting area, consultation rooms for seeing patients, a plaster room, clean and dirty utility rooms, a toilet, and cleaning store. 

And the layout is designed with efficient patient flow in mind and to maximise available space.

Having a stand-alone facility next to A&E for assessing patients and treating minor injuries has made it easier to manage patient flow while maintaining social distancing, and means patients can be treated in a timely manner, in the most-suitable setting.

The temporary facility was designed in close collaboration with clinical staff as well as estates personnel from Bouygues E&S, which manages the hospital site.

Simon Squirrell, national sales manager at Vanguard, said: “The unit at Southmead Hospital provides the trust with a solution that will enable more-efficient streaming of patients coming through A&E, increase capacity, and reduce the pressure on the existing facilities.

“It has also allowed the trust to prepare for potentially-heightened demand from COVID-19 or seasonal pressures.”

The temporary facility will be on site for an initial period of six months.