New £21.3m emergency department opens to patients at Pilgrim Hospital

Pilgrim Hospital’s Emergency Department opens today (Monday 7 May) for patients in Boston, Lincolnshire

In 2019, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the funding for the new ED, with additional financial support from the Lincolnshire NHS system. 

Extensive planning and development have since taken place to ensure the department meets the needs of both patients and staff now and in the future.

This is the first phase of the development, and it nearly doubles the size of the existing department. It includes eight resuscitation cubicles for the most critically ill patients, with one specifically for children, and 12 major treatment cubicles.

The first phase nearly doubles the size of the existing department

A safe assessment room for mental health patients has also been included.

Many cubicles have adjoining rooms for staff to safely don and remove protective equipment when treating infectious patients.

The new ED also features direct ambulance access, a temporary area for children, and a relatives’ room for family updates and private moments with loved ones. 

A safe assessment room for mental health patients has also been included

Ambulance crews will bring patients in via a weighbridge, allowing faster medication administration.

The next phase

Work on the next phase has already begun, which will expand the department with additional treatment cubicles and rebuild the rest of the existing ED from the ground up, including a new entrance, waiting area, and urgent treatment centre.

Designed with sustainability in mind, the new building is carbon neutral and uses air-source heat pumps, supporting the NHS's commitment to becoming net-zero by 2045.

Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group Chief Executive, Professor Karen Dunderdale, said: “The scale of the work so far is impressive, especially when you consider that this is just the first phase of the project.

“Now the work will focus on transforming the existing department and joining both phases together in 2026.

“We will still be working in only half of a department until the next phase is completed. This is no small feat, but with the support of other departments, our amazing emergency department colleagues, and our patients, we will get there.”