South Bristol hospital to open for patients in 2012

Vision of the future: How the new hospital in south Bristol will look when it opens in 2012

Patients will be treated at the new community hospital in south Bristol early 2012, after plans for the £54million facility were approved yesterday.

After 60 years of campaigning, building work on the hospital in Hengrove Park will begin in March 2010 after the plans were approved by the Department of Health and the South West Strategic Health Authority.

The new hospital will provide a range of services including an 8am-8pm GP service, walk-in centre and a day surgical treatment unit.

Another £46m will be spent – as part of the Hengrove First project – to build a sports and leisure facility, corporate headquarters and transport infrastructure improvements.

Funding has been provided by Bristol Infracare LIFT, a public-private partnership established by NHS Bristol in 2004. The LIFT company, which has already provided four new health centres across Bristol, including one at Whitchurch, has assembled a team led by Carillion and local architects AWW to build the hospital.

A public consultation on the proposals was undertaken in 2004 and planning permission for the site was granted in March 2008. All that is required now is for the contracts to be signed in February 2010 – building work will begin a few weeks after.

In a statement, NHS Bristol chief executive Deborah Evans said: “I am delighted that the final approval for the hospital has now been granted. It has been a long process and it is exciting that we can now move forwards.

“It is clear that this hospital marks real progress in transforming the way we can provide health care to people, particularly in the south of Bristol.”

Meanwhile, Bristol South MP Dawn Primarolo said she looked forward to the long-running saga finally coming to an end.

“This decision is great news. It means that the NHS in Bristol will finally deliver on its promise to provide people in south Bristol with the local hospital services for which they have campaigned for so long.

“Once contracts are signed in the new year we can look forward to seeing the building work begin and the dream will finally become a reality.”