The first patients have been treated in the emergency department of a Norfolk hospital after a £2.7m revamp.

The refurbished A&E at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn was designed by clinical staff to provide an improved working area and better conditions for patients.

It has extra space for ambulance handovers and those who make their own way to hospital to be triaged, seen and treated.

It also features side rooms with doors rather than curtains to accommodate patients with potentially infectious conditions and space to meet the needs of patients presenting with mental health conditions.

And it comes as work gets under way on the first phases of a £862m replacement hospital, which is expected to open by 2030. 

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Fran Rose-Smith, divisional general manager for urgent and emergency care, said: “This is an exciting day for the whole urgent and emergency care team here at the QEH.

"This project has been a long time in the planning and it’s great to finally see it come to fruition both for our patients and staff.

“We know space had been an issue for some time, the department had outgrown its previous footprint, and has led to challenges within the department.

"We hope this newly laid out area will help us to manage some of these challenges moving forward, alleviate some of this pressure and allow for a better flow of patients.”

Emergency admissions have increased by more than 50pc over the last decade with an average of 220 patients a day being treated compared to 120 a day 10 years ago.

New equipment has been funded by the King’s Lynn Hospitals League of Friends, whose chair Penny Hipkin said: “We are proud to have supported the fitting and equipment for the new emergency department – it’s wonderful to be able to support this essential new area which will make such a difference to patients."

Hospital chief executive Alice Webster, said: “This is new area is a real investment in patient care and staff wellbeing – we know it will make a real difference."