Plans for new hospital for North Norfolk
Plans for a new and ground-breaking hospital for North Norfolk today took their first step forward as the Board of the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire approved the proposal.
The plan for a hospital that combines a GP surgery, an eight bed dialysis unit, social services, day surgery, 24 beds and community health services under one roof has been given the green light to develop the business case further.
Services that will be seen in the new development include:
- An integrated inpatient unit of 24 beds for post acute care, support of day surgery and direct GP admissions
- 19 day case beds / chairs
- A minor injuries services
- Eight renal stations
- An MRI scanner, plain film and ultrasound
- Modern facilities for an eight partner general practice which supports the consolidation beginning in 2005 of the two GP practices in the town
- Community staff base transferred from Cromer Health Office, currently in St. Mary's House
- Mental health facility in support of services in the hub at Kelling
- A base for social services
The proposal is the culmination of years of work by the NHS to ensure that the new hospital project met the population needs of the area for both present and future generations, and that it was affordable.
Diana Clarke, Chief Executive of North Norfolk PCT who has led the work for the redevelopment said, “We are really pleased that work on the new hospital can now start in earnest. We have spent a lot of time putting the case together for the services we wanted to see there as we were keen to get it exactly right, and now that hard work has paid off. This is an exciting time for North Norfolk.”
The case for services was developed with various partners, principally the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust who owns the current hospital and runs the services provided there.
Norfolk and Norwich Chairman David Prior said: “The services we provide in north Norfolk have always been very important to us and remain so for the future. This news is very welcome for our patients and our staff and we look forward to developing the plans and giving the people of north Norfolk a hospital that will be regarded as leading edge in terms of offering a one-stop approach to health needs.”
Other partners who have helped shape the project and contributed to the case for services are Cromer Group Practice, Social Services, North Norfolk District Council and a stakeholder reference group with representatives from many local bodies, such as Town and Parish Councils, the North Norfolk Patient and Public Involvement Forum and the Cromer Regeneration partnership.
The next steps are to develop the full business case and to determine the location for the new hospital. North Norfolk District Council will undertake a consultation exercise on the siting of the hospital in June as part of the development of its emerging planning policy framework. It is hoped that the new hospital could be completed for the end of 2007.