A NEW observation ward is to be created at the Royal Infirmary to prevent people needlessly being admitted to the main hospital.
The 12-bed unit would help health chiefs continue to hit targets without causing unnecessary disruption.
It would also free up beds in the main hospitals for patients in need of urgent treatment.
The ERI's accident and emergency unit is Scotlan
d's busiest, seeing 300 patients a day, over 50 per cent more than any other.
However, NHS Lothian is expected to see patients within four hours of them coming through the door.
Some patients need to be observed for six or eight hours, depending on their injury, so as they reach the four-hour mark they are admitted to the main hospital.
This takes up valuable bed space as well as patient and hospital staff time.
NHS Lothian wants a halfway house, where patients can continue to be observed for a short period, without having to be admitted.
Eddie Egan, employee director and vice-chairman of the NHS Lothian board, said: "(The ERI's] A&E is getting up to 98 per cent (of patients seen within four hours], which is a phenomenal performance and all staff have to be congratulated.
"But we are having to admit people and then discharge them within a few hours just to meet that target. If this is the case what are we going to do about it?"
James McCaffery, NHS Lothian's director of acute services, said: "It's early days but we are actively considering a 12-bed observation unit near A&E.
"This would provide a specialist area for some of the patients who currently have to be admitted to an inpatient bed.
"These are people who do not appear to need admission but may require tests to get a full picture of their condition, or who need to be kept comfortable until we are confident they can go home.
"The unit would assist in ensuring that those patients requiring acute admission are prioritised while those awaiting the results of tests are cared for in comfort.
"
The type of patients who would benefit from such an innovation would include those suffering from head injuries, who do not need additional treatment but should be monitored.
Tom Waterson, chairman of public sector union Unison's Scottish Health Committee, said: "In the past if anyone came in with a head injury they always had to stay in for 24 hours, now that has reduced.
"However, it is a necessity to keep patients in until you are sure they are right to go home, primarily for the patients themselves, but also for staff's peace of mind.
"That's why an observation ward is such a good idea. It will help staff, help patients, and help the flow of people through the hospital."
