Redhill's East Surrey Hospital's newly-developed Emergency Department has been officially designated a ‘Trauma Unit’ after satisfying a panel of experts.

The panel assessed the department to see if it could provide high quality initial care and stabilize patients with a traumatic injury, and where necessary, arrange for their safe transfer to a trauma centre, in the wake of a £14 million building programme.

The development has increased the size of the Emergency Department by 30%, and includes two new rooms designed for rapid assessment and triage. A spokesman for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said the experts' thumbs-up was “fantastic news for local people.”

The spokesman said the experts' verdict meant “that patients in this area are in the best place at this hospital if they have a traumatic injury.

“This is fantastic news for local people as being a Trauma Unit is about ensuring the hospital can provide the best care at the right time to those who need it urgently.”

Trust chief executive Michael Wilson said: “We now have an emergency department that is performing amongst the best.”

Mr Wilson said: “Being awarded Trauma Unit status is not the end point.

“We have a plans to make our service even better by recruiting even more consultants and building four new theatres.”

He said: “As an organisation we are committed to providing excellent emergency care and we have made huge levels of investment in both front line staff and the building itself. “The £14million pound building programme has increased the size of the Emergency Department by 30%, and includes two new rooms designed for rapid assessment and triage to promote a more efficient and speedy journey for our patients.

“We also now have a separate resuscitation area and a completely separate state-of-the-art paediatric emergency department – specifically designed with children in mind.” He said the East Surrey Hospital is ideally located as a trauma unit because of its proximity to Gatwick Airport and the M25.

The East Surrey is the designated hospital for major emergencies at the airport and the M23.

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which also runs a range of services at hospitals in Crawley, Horsham, Dorking, Caterham and the Oxted Health Centre, employs about 2,900 staff, and has an annual budget of £187 million.