THE first phase of a £2 million refurbishment of Bradford Royal Infirmary's Accident and Emergency department is on-track to finish in March.

Hospital chiefs say the revamp of the Emergency Department (ED) is needed to cope with increased demand and is part of an "ambitious vision to create a more efficient acute medicine service for the people of Bradford".

The work is being completed in four phases, and is predicted to finish in the autumn.

ED clinical lead, Dave Greenhorn, said: "The new ED is designed with both patient safety and high quality at its core.

"Over the last decade, the increase in patients attending A&E has been unprecedented and the department is no longer big enough to cope with the volume we see coming through our doors.

"Patients are living longer and have more complex medical needs today compared to two decades ago.

"The new ED has been designed to provide a slicker and more efficient service, with faster senior clinician involvement at an early stage in the patient pathway.

"This will ensure that we remain at the forefront of emergency medicine practice nationally."

When the department was re-designed in 2000, it was predicted that about 70,000 patients a year would use the service, but that figure now stands at somewhere between 135,000 and 140,000 patients a year.

The first phase will see a new administration extension block created in the area between the ED and the old radiology department building, facing on to Duckworth Lane.

The next phase, due to start in April, will see contractors move inside the hospital to create a new reception, waiting areas, and a rapid assessment area.

A new self-contained Paediatric ED will also be constructed internally before the creation of a separate waiting area where patients will go to wait for their results.

The Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust opened a new acute medicine wing on ward 1 last year, and new link wards between the wing and ward 4 were completed in December.

This development brought together all three areas to form a new acute medical assessment area.

A new ambulatory care unit also opened last May, involving a full redevelopment of former office accommodation at a cost of £750,000.

A ward 4 refurbishment project, which is due to run from April until August, will see a further £700,000 invested in acute medicine.

Commenting on the various building projects, Ann Bannister, directorate manager for Urgent Care, said: "This is an exciting time for urgent and emergency care which will see an enhanced pathway for patients who attend our accident and emergency department."