IMAGES OF NEW CAERPHILLY HOSPITAL UNVEILED

People in Caerphilly have been given a picture of how the new hospital in the Borough will look from the outside with the unveiling of an artist’s impression of the building.

Initial preparation work will begin on site at Ystrad Fawr towards the end of the month following completion of detailed plans that show how the building will look and be positioned within its surroundings. Major work will start in Spring next year.

The hospital, which will be named Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr after its location, will incorporate some of the site’s original features, such as the Cenotaph and Victorian fire station – these will form part of a new landscaped approach to the hospital’s main entrance.

All beds in the new hospital will be housed in single, en-suite bedrooms, which have been designed to provide patients with views of the landscape and natural light. Providing single bedrooms will help with the control of infection, protect patients’ privacy and dignity and allow people to be admitted 24-hours a day without disruption to other patients.

Martin Turner, chief executive of Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust, said that the designs were a great way to generate public interest. “Rather than us telling people how great the hospital is going to look, we can now show them. We have invested much time and resources into making sure that we create a building with modern hospital facilities to support the delivery of a world-class health service in line with Design for Life principles,” he said.

Chrissie Hayes, interim chief executive of Caerphilly Teaching Local Health Board, added: “Approval of the exterior designs of the hospital pave the way for an exciting year as we work on interior design features such as the positioning of the rooms and detailed layout plans - and then starting on major construction work on site early in 2008.”