King’s Lynn hospital staff learn about single-room wards from Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia

Staff members at Lynn’s hospital have been learning from Australian health professionals as they prepare to transition to delivering care in single rooms.

When the Queen Elizabeth Hospital rebuild is complete, it is set to have single rooms for all wards.

This month, members of the QEH team hosted a virtual session with members of the health care team at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia to learn from their experience of doing the same.

The Royal Adelaide Hospital relocated to its new hospital in September 2017, moving from traditional shared wards and multiple-bed layouts to 100% single rooms.

The group explored in depth the practical insights, challenges, and strategies the team worked through during this transition.

Discussions included focus points such as:

• Reducing social isolation for patients by enhancing communal spaces and proactive staff engagement

• Addressing patient safety and security concerns by reviewing door mechanisms and monitoring systems

• Staff modelling for safe and effective care

• Patient, staff and public engagement throughout the QEH project

Toni Platts, associate clinical and operational director for the new QEH, said: “This was a great opportunity to share in the lessons learnt at the Royal Adelaide as they transferred into their new hospital.

“As a team we have taken away lots of actions, and things to consider. As we move towards plans for a new QEH, sessions such as this are invaluable.”

It has repeatedly been stated that the new hospital will be ready by 2032, past the 2030 deadline when the current building will no longer be safe.

Construction is not set to begin until either 2027 or 2028.