Figueres hospital opens eight-bed semi-critical care unit

The Hospital de Figueres has opened a new Semi-Critical Care Unit, allowing patients who need close monitoring to be treated in the Alt Empordà instead of being sent to hospitals in Girona.

The unit started operating on 14 September. It is part of a new model for treating critically ill patients across the Girona Health Region, the public health area that covers the province.

A family's view

One of the first patients admitted was the father of Teresa Cufí, from Navata. He has heart problems, and the family decided he should be treated in the new unit, which is located within the hospital's Emergency Department.

For Cufí, being in Figueres makes a practical difference. She said it "allows more comfort and avoids journeys to Girona".

Cutting those journeys is one of the stated aims of the new model.

Eight beds, open all year

The Figueres unit has eight beds. It is designed for patients with a certain level of complexity who need semi-intensive monitoring and observation.

It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Staffing levels have been increased, and the healthcare workers assigned to the unit have received additional training to care for this type of patient.

The unit occupies the space previously used by the hospital's Monitoring Unit, known by its Catalan initials UMO. The project involved adapting the space, installing advanced technology and setting up direct coordination with the region's main critical care services.

Real-time link with Girona

The new area is connected in real time with the territorial critical patient unit of the Girona Health Region. That unit is made up of the ICU at the Hospital Universitari Doctor Josep Trueta - Hospital de Santa Caterina and the Trueta's Cardiovascular Critical Care Unit.

Staff in Figueres will be supported by specialists from the Trueta and Santa Caterina hospitals through a new technology platform. This forms part of a project called Critic.CAT.

Critic.CAT is designed to share information and expertise in real time between the centres and professionals involved in caring for critical and semi-critical patients. These include the reference hospital, county hospitals and the SEM, Catalonia's emergency medical service.

According to the health authorities, the system should support better decision-making, more efficient use of resources and fairer access to critical care across the Girona region. It covers both general patients and those with heart conditions.

Palamós first, Olot next

Figueres is the second hospital to join the new model. The rollout began in June at the Hospital de Palamós, and it will continue in the coming weeks at the Hospital d'Olot.

Five cases in two weeks

Jaume Heredia, manager of the Girona Health Region, said he was satisfied with the results so far. He said the model means patients admitted to county hospitals can receive "a level of care similar to that of patients in the Trueta - Santa Caterina ICU".

Heredia added that since 14 September, five patients have been identified who would have had to be transferred to Girona if the unit did not exist.

Xavier Verdaguer, managing director of the Fundació Salut Empordà, the foundation that runs the Figueres hospital, said the model "avoids duplication, makes more efficient use of resources and increases proximity and accessibility for patients".

Olga Mesquida, head of Emergency at the Hospital de Figueres, said the new unit was an evolution of the former Monitoring Unit. She noted the change has also allowed the hospital to increase its number of staff.

Fewer transfers outside the region

According to the Catalan Department of Health, the new model will increase the number of structural beds and reduce the number of critical patients transferred outside the Girona Health Region. That figure currently stands at around 60 people a year.

The department also expects the changes to improve patient flows between hospitals.

Why It Matters

For residents of Empuriabrava, Castelló d'Empúries and the wider Alt Empordà, Figueres is the nearest general hospital. Until now, patients needing closer monitoring could face a transfer to Girona, adding travel time and pressure on families. The new unit suggests more of that care can now stay in the county.

This could matter in particular for older residents and those with heart conditions, a group well represented among the area's year-round and seasonal population. Five avoided transfers in the first two weeks is an early sign, but a short period is not enough to judge the full effect.

The broader picture is a regional network linking county hospitals with the Trueta in Girona. It is worth watching whether the promised extra staffing holds, how the unit copes in the busy summer months, and whether the number of transfers outside the Girona region falls from its current level of around 60 a year.