The new £15 million A&E department at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary will open to the public on Wednesday May 22.

The new building, completed last summer, had been due to open last October but a significant amount of water pipework had to be removed as the wrong jointing compound had been used.

A series of open days were held for the public last September before the problem was found.

The pipework has been replaced at the expense of the contractors and Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has announced the unit will take its first patients just after midnight on May 22.

All services currently based in the existing 1960s A&E on North Drive will transfer across to the new building on South Drive when it opens for patient care. The A&E has already won a design award before it opens its doors. Read more about that HERE.

The new A&E is almost twice the size of the current department and has much-improved facilities, including:

  • A larger resuscitation area with four private bays;
  • A dedicated children’s waiting area;
  • Treatment rooms with sliding glass doors to improve privacy and dignity;
  • Two state-of-the-art x-ray rooms;
  • A sensitively-located bereavement suite for families.

Its new location means it will be connected by a corridor to services in the main hospital, including CT and MRI scans, operating theatres and ward areas.

Dr Mark Davies, consultant in emergency medicine and clinical lead for the A&E development, said: “The new, full-service A&E emergency department will be staffed by specialist doctors and nurses trained in emergency medicine.

“It will enable the hospital to better meet the needs of the people of Huddersfield and the surrounding area. It’s your A&E – please use it wisely and help us prioritise those who need it most.”

Anna Basford, deputy chief executive and director of transformation at the Trust, said: “We are really looking forward to opening the new A&E to the public in just a few short weeks.

“Hundreds of local people came to look at the facility during the public open day in September and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. This is a facility that the people of Huddersfield can be proud of.”

The development is part of a £200 million investment in facilities at HRI and Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax.

New A&E at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary finally set to open in early summer but maternity unit remains shut