New hospital is now just a year away from opening its doors
A£350M hospital which aims to transform how NHS services are delivered across Gwent is now just a year away from opening.
The 471-bed Grange University Hospital (GUH) being built at Llanfrechfa, near Cwmbran, is scheduled to open in spring 2021 and set to be delivered on time and on budget.
The main use of the hospital will be to treat the most seriously ill patients or those in potentially life-threatening emergency situations.
It means that the majority of people who attend will be brought there by ambulance or directed to attend there by another health professional such as a GP, a hospital consultant or the 111 service.
The health board said the majority of NHS care for the people of Gwent will still be provided closer to home in community centres, clinics or at the network of other hospitals across the area.
The Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport and Abergavenny’s Nevill Hall Hospital will see their A&E departments moved to the £350m Grange University Hospital once it opens.
Judith Paget, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s chief executive, said: “The GUH will offer a first-class environment for patients and our staff, and we are grateful for the ongoing support that the development is receiving from the community.
“We know that the opening of GUH will mean that a small number of patients will be cared for further from home, but their care will be to the highest standard and offer the best outcomes possible from their treatment.”
The hospital will be home to more than 40 specialist services and will have a helicopter pad for patients who need to arrive by air ambulance.
Six hundred people are employed in the construction of the hospital, a process which involves moving 150,000 cubic metres of soil.
Some 30,000 cubic metres of concrete are required and, once completed, the hospital will contain 10,500 voice and data points, 13,500 light fittings, and 190 kilometres of cables.
Laing O’Rourke, along with cost and project managers Gleeds, is helping to deliver the project on time and within budget.
Mike Lewis, Laing O’Rourke’s project director, said: “We continue to be proud of delivering this project on behalf of the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.
“This state-of-the-art hospital will leave a lasting legacy for the south-east Wales region and showcases our offsite capabilities and engineering expertise.
“The progress made since we started construction is a testament to the hard work of our project team and close working relationship with the health board.”
This state-of-the-art hospital will leave a lasting legacy for the south-east Wales region MIKE LEWIS