The new two-storey unit, being built within the main hospital grounds, will house two operating theatres, assessment rooms, pre-op waiting rooms, recovery bays and a dedicated cataract suite, along with staff offices and a reception area.
It is designed by ADP Architects; project manager is Currie & Brown.
Speller Metcalfe is expected to complete construction in late spring 2024.
The types of procedure that will be offered in the new unit include a mix of day case surgeries, including gynaecology, ENT, urology, general surgical, orthopaedic, dental, oral and cataract procedures.
Alan Dawson, the hospital’s strategy and planning officer, said: “The demolition of the last of our 1940s hutted wards has made way for this unit which will effectively be a standalone facility. It will be run in a way that means it won’t be affected by sudden pressures in our emergency department, which have curtailed routine elective procedures in the past.”
Speller Metcalfe regional director Mark Hudgeon said: “We are currently flooded with news regarding NHS pressures, and there is no shying away from the fact that staff and patients all over the UK need additional resources to combat healthcare pressures. For Speller Metcalfe, we are eager to be a part of the solution and are delighted to support Wye Valley NHS Trust to deliver both the quantity and quality of care required by a growing Herefordshire community.”
The scheme is the first project procured under the new ProCure23 national healthcare framework for the design and construction of NHS capital projects – a collaboration between NHS England and Crown Commercial Service, which has an anticipated cumulative £9bn spend during its lifetime.
Speller Metcalfe has delivered numerous schemes across Herefordshire, including the Hereford Medical Centre, Midlands Centre for Cyber Security and most recently Skylon Campus for the New Model Institute for Technology & Engineering.
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