As the construction of a £18.6 million ward block at Lister Hospital in Stevenage nears completion, the Comet was given exclusive access to the new building.

The new block at the front of the hospital is built over two floors and will accommodate 62 inpatient beds – half of which will be single ensuite rooms.

Construction began in March last year and the unit is expected to open in October.

With 38 beds, the first floor will house a coronary care unit for recovering cardiology patients.

The ground floor, with 24 beds and 14 trolleys, will have an acute assessment unit which will manage seriously ill patients arriving by ambulance, as well as referred by GPs.

Rachel Quail, clinical director for acute medicine at Lister Hospital, said the new unit will relieve pressure on the A&E department.

“We will avoid the waits and the inherent delays,” she said.

“It will help with patient flow and support the angioplasty service we are hoping to start in the new year.”

Angioplasty – a procedure used to widen blocked or narrowed coronary arteries – is currently only offered between 9am and 5pm at the hospital, but is set to be available 24 hours a day from spring next year.

With ensuite bathrooms, a focus on natural light and a landscaped garden for patients to enjoy, the new ward block has been designed with more than medical care in mind.

Dr Quail added: “We want to give the best to our patients. It’s not just about the medical care. The better we can make the patient feel, the quicker they will recover.”

The unit is next to the A&E department and Hertfordshire Cardiac Centre, and is aimed at helping to manage the increased number of acutely unwell patients that will be treated at Lister as remaining inpatient and emergency services transfer from the QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City.

The new ward block is part of a £150m major redevelopment of Lister, which includes improved maternity services, an extended A&E department and critical care unit, a new theatre and endoscopy block, a refurbished tower block and a multi-storey car park.