THE PRESSURE on accident and emergency services at West Middlesex hospital is to be significantly eased by the introduction of 40 new beds, it was announced this week.

The hospital's new chief executive, Gail Wannell, met the Times this week to set out her plan for the future, and her aim to make the hospital more patient-focused''.

Of the new beds, 30 have been in place since January, while ten more are planned for this month. In addition, the site redevelopment is scheduled for completion in 2003. Ms Wannell believes that the new £50 million building, which will house the services that are presently spread out across several buildings under one roof, will be the ultimate improvement''.

At the moment, the West Mid site is an eclectic mix of Victorian buildings, with block additions from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. But that is set to change with the new state-of-the-art building.

This will be the most significant quality enhancement to patients and staff for a long time,'' said Ms Wannell, who was appointed full-time in November after spending two months as interim chief executive

But for now, to ease the pressure we have also bought two more ambulances. At the moment if you're in A&E and you need an x-ray, for instance, you have to be transferred to different buildings around the site. The patients get exposed to the weather and have to be lifted in and out of ambulances.

While from July 2003 the process will be nicer and quicker for the patients, it will help staff as well. At the moment, whenever an A&E patient is transferred, a nurse must go with them. But in the new building the nurses can stay in A&E. The whole system will be more patient-focused.

A spokesman for the hospital added: We will pay a fee to the contractors only if the service is of a high standard. If it isn't, we won't pay. That is the incentive for the contractor to guarantee high quality.''