Thanks to funding from NHS England, the Trust has built a new triage/assessment room in the Emergency Department. This new room is used for what’s known as ‘streaming’, where staff will direct people to the most appropriate service based on their clinical need. Streaming is a rapid assessment takes place to ensure patients with life-threatening illnesses or serious recent injuries, who most need the Emergency Department, are seen quickly and safely and patients who would benefit from primary care (or GP) expertise are directed into that service. 
As part of these works, the Trust has been fortunate to be able to create, for the very first time, a dedicated Children’s Waiting Area in the Emergency Department. This area features toys and games for young people, plus a beautiful images of balloons all the way along one wall, and ‘natural’ light from a ceiling display. A trip to the Emergency Department is never fun, but can be especially frightening for a pint-sized patient. The newly decorated and dedicated area in the Emergency Department is aimed at making the department a little less scary for young patients and their families. This area will make sure a difference to the thousands of children who attend the department each year – the Trust sees on average 600 children per month.