Design revealed for more than £90m. major modernisation of PEH
NEW BEDS, wards and buildings in a £90m.+ modernisation programme of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital are a step closer, with the announcement that a preferred design has been selected and planning applications are being drafted.
The project was approved by the States last year.
A preferred building contractor is scheduled to be selected in May next year, with construction starting about June or July.
Jan Coleman, the director of hospital modernisation, said that it was an extremely complex undertaking.
‘A major capital project of this nature will act as a significant stimulus to the local economy and is a key element of the island’s Covid-19 recovery strategy.
‘Specialist hospital development will require off-island expertise but will be supported by the local construction companies and will benefit the local economy.
‘A series of public engagement events is planned in order that the community can view and understand the preferred design and the thought processes behind the decisions that have been made.’
The project will be one of the biggest infrastructure developments in years and because of its magnitude it has been split into three phases.
Phase one, costing more than £40m., includes the expansion of the critical care unit from seven to 12 beds, a refurbished post anaesthesia care unit with 10 beds, and better facilities for staff and relatives.
Phase two will involve the most noticeable changes because a three-storey extension will be built along with a new main entrance.
The new extension will house an updated breast unit, paediatrics, outpatients, maternity, and neonatal intensive care units.
There will also be new theatres, private wards, and an admission and discharge unit adjacent to the theatres, which could be converted to critical care beds to support any future pandemics.
In the final phase work will be done on the emergency department with separate ambulance and walk-in entrances, the orthopaedic ward and the fracture clinic.
The aim is to deliver the entire programme within seven years.
At its core the renaissance of the PEH is about improving the care and conditions for patients, and making sure that expanded capacity meets the demands of a local population with one of the longest life expectancies in the world.
A rapidly ageing island means that preparations are needed now for a larger number of older patients with more complex needs.
The current design of the PEH has been deemed inflexible, and without building for the future the risk is that services will become shackled to out-of-date premises.
A modern hospital is regarded as essential in order to be able to recruit the right staff.
HSC has stressed that care in the community will also be beefed-up in order to relieve pressure on the hospital.
Given the scale of change there is anticipated to be some disruption to services, but health officials have promised that actual care will not be hampered.
