Pressure on the emergency services during the winter could be eased thanks to a new assessment and observation ward at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.

The £270,000 ward, which is close to the accident and emergency department, has 22 beds.

Fifteen of them provide 24-hour observation for patients coming through the accident and emergency department and seven are for the assessment of elderly patients referred to the hospital by their GPs.

The extra beds are being funded from winter money by North Essex Health Authority, which is investing in the new service funding the nursing and support staff.

General manager of the General Medicine Directorate at the hospital, Ann Dovener said: "The ward is designed to ease pressure on our accident and emergency staff and allow them to concentrate on more pressing emergencies which come in.

"It will also help to reduce the situation where patients have to wait in accident and emergency for an inpatient bed at times of peak emergency admissions."

She said patients in the new ward were cared for by nurses in a normal ward environment. In many cases, patients will be kept in overnight for observation or, where necessary, treated in the ward until an appropriate specialist inpatient bed is ready," she added.

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