West Suffolk Hospital submits £14 million plans to build extra wards
Multi-million pound plans have been drawn up for two extra wards at West Suffolk Hospital.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has sought permission to build a £14 million ‘decant ward’ at the Bury St Edmunds hospital, in Hardwick Lane.
The proposals would provide two 30-bed wards and replace a car park and two groups of trees to the north east of the main hospital.
A planning statement, submitted to West Suffolk Council, said the hospital is undergoing a phased refurbishment to modernise all first floor wards as well as remedial works ‘to protect the structure of the hospital’.
It said: “In order to maintain the capacity of the hospital, especially during infectious outbreaks, the construction of two additional wards is necessary to achieve this program.
“Taking the recent pandemic into consideration, the proposed new wards are designed to benefit from an increased ventilation capacity to isolate and care for patients during any future outbreak.”
A new corridor will link the ward to the hospital at ground floor level.
The planning statement notes that 25 staff parking spaces will be ‘lost as a result of these proposals, however, the staff shuttle bus parking remains in place from the nearby Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club’. There will be ‘no loss to patient or visitor car parking’.
Sixteen cycle hoop spaces next to the hospital will be lost to accommodate a walkway. An extra cycle shelter is planned to provide 12 spaces.
Replacement planting elsewhere on site will ‘compensate for the proposed tree and habitat losses’
It added: “As a decant facility, the proposed works do not seek to bring new staff onto site and will accommodate staff and functions already contained within the main hospital block.”
The trust is aiming for the wards to be ready for winter 2021.
Craig Black, director of resources and deputy CEO, said: “While still in the planning stages, we believe the extra space the ward will bring our trust will hugely benefit the patients of West Suffolk as well as our staff.
“Our vision is to deliver the best quality and safest care for our community and this goes a huge way towards fulfilling this vision.”
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