Whittington Hospital in Archway is currently caring for more than double the number of patients it was originally built to handle.
The emergency department now sees around 110,000 adults and children each year, despite being designed in the late 1970s to accommodate less than half that number.
The trust will open a new same day emergency care (SDEC) unit next to the emergency department. This will treat patients who need urgent care but do not require an overnight stay.
Patients in the SDEC wiil be assessed, diagnosed, and treated on the same day, with access to blood tests, scans, and senior clinical review.
They can return home with a clear care plan and follow-up instructions, helping to avoid long waits and reduce pressure on the A&E.
Selina Douglas, CEO of Whittington Health NHS Trust, said: “We have known for a long time that crowding in our emergency department makes it harder to provide the high-quality and dignified care that our patients rightly expect.
“I want to be clear that this new space won’t give us all of the additional space that we need, but it will help to ease crowding in the department whilst we plan for more significant, long-term changes.”
The investment follows a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which identified areas for improvement linked to overcrowding.
Sarah Wilding, chief nurse and director of allied health professions at Whittington Health, said: “I am pleased that despite the challenges we face in our urgent and emergency care services, the CQC recognise our caring staff and found that we continue to provide high-quality care. I want to pay tribute to my many hard-working colleagues for their care every day.
“The main areas of improvement the CQC identified can be traced back to the challenges of an emergency department that is treating more than double the number of patients than it was designed to cope with.”
