Worcestershire Royal A&E expansion plans

Plans to expand an under-pressure A&E department are due to be submitted next week, the BBC understands.

If approved, the Worcestershire Royal Hospital's emergency unit's floor space will increase by about 50%.

The department, which was designed to cope with 45,000 patients a year, has been under strain, leading to patients being treated on trolleys in corridors.

Following an inspection in March, external, the Care Quality Commission found emergency patients were "at risk".

The expansion proposals are expected to be formally announced by the Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust next week.

BBC Hereford and Worcester's political reporter, Matthew Bone, said managers hoped to have the work completed by Christmas.

"Although designed to cope with 45,000 patients a year, the unit has been seeing closer to 65,000. This year's busy winter season was a big strain.

"Such an expansion may also serve to ease some concerns about how Worcester would cope if controversial plans to downgrade the A&E in Redditch go ahead," he said.