Thousands of patients at Sutton hospital benefit from new admissions-busting hospital unit

The Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) Unit at the hospital in Sutton provides high-quality diagnostic tests, treatment and care that would previously have required a short hospital admission or been managed within the hospital’s already busy Emergency Department (ED).

Since opening in June 2021, Sherwood Forest Hospitals’ £2 million purpose-built unit has helped patients to access the treatment they need in as timely a way as possible and helped ensure that other beds are available for those who need them most.

Dan Exell, lead nurse on the unit at King’s Mill Hospital, said: “It's important to realise that hospital isn’t always the best place for every patient to recover from their illness.

"For example, some patients with dementia who are used to a very specific routine, environment and their recognised carers can potentially become quite unsettled or disorientated by any changes to these factors.

"Most patients prefer to be in their own environment if possible and this can really help to aid their recovery.

“Rather than being admitted to hospital, if patients require further treatment but are well enough in themselves, they can now receive their treatment at the unit and then go home to recover in their own home.”

Mansfield resident Michaela Carlyle, 28, has experienced the benefits of SDEC first-hand. She was recently referred to the unit for daily treatment for the skin condition cellulitis after her body reacted badly to a tattoo, and again to receive antibiotics for an infected ant bite.

She said: “I would highly recommend attending SDEC over being admitted to hospital. The staff are lovely, making you feel comfortable and welcomed.

"I’m never left alone and there is always someone around to answer any questions. It’s great because it means I’m not sitting around waiting for my next round of treatment when I could otherwise be recovering at home.”

Common conditions treated on the unit are cellulitis, low risk cardiac chest pain, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart failure, hypertension, headache and atrial fibrillation.