Plans to improve the Isle of Wight’s only hospital have been given the green light.
3 new extensions will now be built at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport as part of its £48 million ‘Investing in its Future programme’, after planning permission was granted by the Isle of Wight Council.
The projects will see the intensive care unit, fracture clinic, urgent treatment centre, emergency department and acute ward all upgraded. There will be a devoted emergency care floor, separating the adult and children patient floors and incorporating a dedicated children’s wing.
The fracture clinic will move from the main hospital block to the north site, with the existing clinic converted into an outpatient area.
A new 18-bed acute surgical ward will also be created through the reconfiguration of the pathology area.
Interim chief executive of the IW NHS Trust, Dr Nikki Turner, said:
“Approval of these ambitious plans is a welcome step forward in delivering a once-in-a-generation investment into local NHS services.
“Our Investing in Our Future programme will deliver better NHS buildings and IT that improve the services on offer to Islanders now and in the future.”
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Other projects in the investment programme include the integrated physical and mental health hub built in the former HMV shop on Newport High Street. Of the £48 million given to the Isle of Wight NHS Trust by government in 2019, £10 million has been invested in hospital beds at Portsmouth Hospital University Trust to ensure Islanders who need to be treated on the mainland can have a bed.
Plans were also recently unveiled for the remainder of the money which could see affordable housing built for nurses and staff, a care home and assisted living accommodation on the St Mary’s site.
The £25.5 million estates improvement strategy could also see improvements to the ambulance station, to hopefully improve turn-around times.
Dr Turner said:
“These exciting changes are an important part of the trust’s plans to innovate and improve the services we provide.
“We are pleased to have already secured planning permission and look forward to sharing more information about the plans.”
She said the only remaining hurdle was securing regulatory funding approval in the coming weeks.
All improvement projects are hoped to be completed by March 2024.
About time – when I was a kid there were 4 hospitals on the island .. the population has grown now there is one – doesn’t make sense.
How about a cottage hospital for those waiting to be discharged with no care packages in place to go to in the interim, thereby freeing up bed space. Onward care in a safe environment until measures can be put in place is a no brainer.
House building and holiday accommodation springing up all over the place – take note planning department- it doesn’t work!
Anyone know anything about an incident late this afternoon which resulted in Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire service attending. Rumours are that it followed some sort of electrical explosion. Any facts yet?
Ask Steve.
Just need some extra staff now then
Good news !
Our Hospital definitely needs to come into the 21st century !
Sure the staff will appreciate this move .
Let’s just hope we can get the extra staff needed to make this work.
The staff there do an amazing job, and I thank them for it.
Are we supposed to be grateful to the IOW Council for granting permission for this work?
Goes without saying it is needed. 1 hospital for an ever increasing population. Too many new homes being built that are not specifically for island residents who need to get on the property ladder by buying an AFFORDABLE home. Sell to mainland buyers, more people move here, poor St Mary’s Hospital becomes overwhelmed. You bet your ass the hospital needs upgrading
Most of those departments have been refurbished a few time’s already but there are others that have never had a lick of paint or upgrade st all.
It’s all very well but if you can’t get the staff!? More money should be ploughed into the dementia services and other things.
Yes your absolutely right we need more mental health and an Alzheimer’s ward which only had six beds 4 apparently could be used but lovely dementia unit and was closed because no specialist nurses to care for these poor unfortunate people so what was the point, we can’t even get to see a doctor so why build all these nice extensions when you need staffing st Mary’s closes on a Friday so what is happening to st Mary’s you can’t see a doctor for love or money if your admitted on a Friday you get to wait in a bed till Monday to see a doctor
So £10million went to Portsmouth….. why not just build something before giving it to a mainland hospital, or god forbid give people FREE, yes FREE, travel to appointments on the mainland.
You can always move back over there.
Sounds terrific. Now, if we could just get access to a GP we might even be able to get a referral there.
The NHS keep saying that they are under funded but they are extending the hospital
So where is the money coming from it coming from the none public sector taxes again so why don’t the top bosses
of the NHS dip there hand in there pockets to help out as they earn to much and in sted of the none tax payers
Any improvements will obviously be welcome. How much was spent though on that totally farcical artists impression?