United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been awarded nearly £1 million funding to relieve pressure on hospital emergency departments ahead of next winter.
This money will be used to set up GP streaming services in front of the A&E departments at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital, Boston.
These services free up the A&E departments to deal with emergencies more quickly and effectively.
The investment has been announced by the Department of Health this week as part of a £100 million fund being allocated to hospitals across the country to relieve pressure on A&E departments and improve A&E waiting times.
Chief Operating Officer for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Mark Brassington, said: “We are delighted that Lincolnshire’s bid for this funding has been successful.
“This will allow us to create a new streaming service at our two busiest A&E departments, which should really help to relieve pressure on those departments.
“With these new services, we will be able to direct patients when they arrive in A&E, with a clinician assessing their needs and deciding where they can receive the most appropriate care.
“We hope that this development will help us to see and treat patients more quickly and ensure that everyone is getting the right level of care that they require.”
Work will start on developing the new facilities in the coming weeks.
The A&E department at Grantham and District Hospital, which currently sees between 60 to 80 patients-a-day will remain open from 8am to 6:30pm seven-days-a-week.