HOSPITAL DEVELOPMENT GATHERS MOMENTUM

New, improved health services for Caerphilly are one step closer as significant milestones for the new Local General Hospital have been reached.

The Full Business Case yesterday received approval from the Boards of Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust and Caerphilly Teaching Local Health Board. Plans detailing the internal layout of Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr have also been signed off by the Trust and partners and the acquisition of the entire site is now complete.

Preparation work has already begun on site, with major construction expected to begin in August. Some of the site’s original features, such as the Cenotaph and Victorian fire station, have been relocated to form part of a new landscaped approach to the hospital’s main entrance.

Scheduled for completion in 2011, Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr will replace the existing Caerphilly Miners Hospital and smaller community hospitals in the borough, providing the most up-to-date health services and facilities. Many of the services, such as a 24-hour local emergency centre, CT scanning, a dedicated stroke unit, an integrated mental health unit and a hydrotherapy pool, will be available for the first time in the borough when the hospital opens.

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.

Andrew Cottom, acting chief executive of Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “This is an exciting stage in the hospital’s development. After years of planning and preparation, we are now at a stage where people can actually see things happening at the site. 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.”

Chrissie Hayes, interim chief executive of Caerphilly Teaching Local Health Board, added: “The building of Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr enables us to expand the range of treatment and care available, giving people in Caerphilly county borough the service that they expect and deserve. We want to provide the best possible care for patients, using modern technology and appropriate facilities and this is becoming increasingly difficult in many of our local hospitals.”