CONSTRUCTION work has started on a £18.6m 62-bed ward block at Lister Hospital.
The facility will house an acute assessment unit and a coronary care unit for recovering cardiology patients at the hospital in Corey’s Mill Lane, Stevenage.
The block, being built in front of a £19m emergency department extension which is already taking shape, is expected to be ready by the end of 2014.
The work forms part of a fourth and final phase of redevelopment which once finished will see the completion of the hospital’s £150m transformation to become the main inpatient and emergency service for the people of east, south and north Hertfordshire, as well as parts of Bedfordshire.
“It’s not only great to see builders starting to dig the foundations for our new ward block, but it’s right next to the new emergency department extension at the Lister that has been taking shape so quickly,” said the East and North Herts NHS Trust’s chief executive Nick Carver.
“Between them, these two new developments represent nearly £40m of investment in new services at the hospital, which are at the heart of its transformation in to the main acute hospital for our parts of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
“We know from the very successful changes made already to the Trust’s maternity and emergency surgery services that it is possible to redesign clinical services in ways that provide our patients with better care and improved experience, whilst costing less money to run.
“For example our new maternity unit is already proving very popular with new mothers and staff alike, yet saves £1m a year in running costs alone.”
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