NHS' new plans for Havant hospital
A PLANNING application for a new community hospital in Havant is set to be submitted in October, senior health officials have revealed.
Inger Hebden, director of capital planning at NHS Hampshire, said her team were working on a hospital "to be proud of."
More than 3million will be spent on transforming Oak Park Children's Centre, in Lavant Drive, and an extension will mean three-quarters of it will become space for a community hospital.
If approved, the new hospital could be up and running by autumn 2012.
Mrs Hebden said she was "disappointed" by the delay in building the hospital, which was set to open next year.
"I have looked at the programme and I honestly don't think we could have done it any quicker," said Mrs Hebden.
"From where I am sitting, we are not sitting waiting. It's all work.
"It looks like a modern clinical building. It's not something you would be ashamed of. It looks like something you would be proud of."
Borough councillors were angry when news of the delay first surfaced last year, with a campaign launched to put pressure on the health authority.
And candidates from all sides of the political divide made it priority during campaigning for this month's General Election.
A new community hospital was planned to reduce the necessity for patients - including those from Hayling Island - to travel all the way to Cosham's Queen Alexandra superhospital, which was officially completed almost a year ago.
But there have already been complaints from the public about certain services although the new buildings have won many plaudits.
One Hayling family fought plans to close the paliative care ward for elderly patients who were expected to die at the hospital.
There are also fears about how feared cuts to staff numbers will affect the 236million hospital which took four years to complete and now houses around 1,400 beds.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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