Changes to the way vehicles access the accident and emergency department at Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary will come into force next week.
Building work continues on a new Urgent Treatment Centre at the site.
From Monday, April 7, cars and ambulances will not be able to drive the whole way round the back of the grounds from Infirmary Street.
A three-week closure will be in place from the staff car park entrance, near the helipad, to the accident and emergency department entrance.
Ambulances will be required to access the accident and emergency from the main entrance side of the hospital.
Pedestrians will still be able to access the accident and emergency as normal and disabled patients will still be able to be dropped off there.
The difference coming into force from Monday is that staff, patients and visitors will not be able to drive the whole way round the back of our site.
Also, if patients are coming to the hospital for any other reason and need to access the dedicated disabled parking, they will need to enter the site via Infirmary Street.
Later in the month, from Monday, April 28, all patients needing to access the accident and emergency will need to come through the main front doors of the hospital and not the current entrance.
The new route will be signposted and details on this new route will be released in due course.
Work began on the new £12m UTC in February aimed at reducing pressure on the accident and emergency department.
The new facility will provide 12 consultation rooms, ancillary staff areas, clinical storage space and patient waiting areas.
The single storey facility comprises examination rooms along with staff/patient ancillary space, waiting area and roof top plant room and will be built by MTX Contracts Ltd using modern methods of construction to deliver the project faster, greener, safer and more cost effectively that conventional building methods.
The current the accident and emergency was built with capacity for 30,000 attendances each year.
Last year, it had 78,300 attendances – more than two-an-a-half times its original capacity, the NHS said.
Cumbria Health, which provides out of hours GP services, will also be located in the urgent treatment centre.
