New images show the completed A&E upgrade at the Countess of Chester Hospital, with early figures showing improvements in how quickly patients are seen.

Changes to the department include a new front-door triage system, allowing patients to be assessed as soon as they arrive and directed to the most appropriate team.

The work has also delivered improved spaces and facilities for patients with different needs, an expanded Discharge Lounge to help more people leave hospital sooner and free up beds, and an expanded Urgent Treatment Centre to allow less urgent cases to be treated more quickly.

A refurbished paediatric A&E has also opened as part of the final phase of the work, with a redesigned waiting area, a new family room and improved clinical spaces for children and their families.

Around six months after the changes were introduced, May was the hospital's strongest month for emergency care performance in more than four years, with 65.2% of patients seen, treated and either discharged or admitted within four hours.

The improvements have been introduced as demand for urgent care continues to rise, with A&E attendances around 8% higher than this time last year and 19% higher than before the pandemic.

Figures from the hospital show around seven in ten patients are now assessed and directed to the right team within 45 minutes of arriving. The time taken for clinicians to make a decision about a patient's next steps has also reduced by a third, from around three hours to two.

Dr Lottie Elliott, lead consultant within the Emergency Department, said the changes had made a noticeable difference for patients and staff.

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She said: "It feels like a different place when you walk in now. Patients are being seen much earlier and there is a calmer, more organised flow through the department. That's better for patients and for staff.

"We've had really positive feedback from patients, from organisations like Healthwatch, and from colleagues visiting from NHS England and other hospitals. It's not just a feeling – people can see that things are working differently."

Cathy Chadwick, chief operating officer, said the hospital recognised that some patients continued to experience long waits in A&E.

"We know people haven't always had a good experience of A&E, and we understand why their confidence in us needs to be rebuilt," she said.

"What these improvements show is that change is underway. We are clear though – this is early progress, not the end point.

"With demand continuing to rise, improving waiting times will become even more challenging, which is why progress like this matters."

The Countess of Chester Hospital said further investment is planned as part of longer-term improvements to urgent and emergency care services.