Refurbishment Work to Get Underway in May
25/04/2008
Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT) has confirmed that the £1.8 million refurbishment work at Stroud General Hospital to modernise the operating theatre and endoscopy department is due to get underway on 14 May.
The work at the Hospital will take between four and six months to complete.
The PCT is hopeful that a decision by local planners on an application to house a state of the art day case surgery unit in the Town during this temporary period will be agreed within the next few weeks.
The PCT stressed today that they have been looking at more than one option in terms of a suitable site for the day case surgery unit. Stroud District Council are considering an application to make use of a site at Dudbridge Hill, Stroud, following discussions between the PCT and a local partner.
The site is large enough to provide access for the mobile day case unit and offers good access to water supplies and drainage.
The PCT wants to make sure that as much surgery as possible remains in Stroud whilst the improvement works are carried out, although day case patients will initially be asked to travel to the Nuffield Hospital in Cheltenham as a very interim measure until planning permission is confirmed for the temporary site in Stroud.
Individual service users will be kept informed on how the alternative temporary arrangements will affect them.
Director of Care Services at Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, John Ford said:
“We are committed to providing patients in Stroud with the highest standards of care and treatment, whilst the improvement works are carried out at Stroud General. We are asking people to bear with us as the refurbishment is carried out - we will be working hard to keep disruption to a minimum. We are confident that patients will really welcome the significant improvements at Stroud General when complete.”
Stroud residents who would have had their inpatient surgery (i.e. those patients who would have stayed in hospital over night after their surgery) at Stroud General will have their surgery at either Gloucestershire Royal or Cirencester Hospitals. This is because the mobile unit can only be used for day cases.
Stroud patients undergoing endoscopy will have their procedures performed at Cirencester Hospital which is 12 miles away from Stroud. The PCT is confident that patients will experience the same professional service and friendly atmosphere at Cirencester.
Patients due to have endoscopy or surgery will receive clear instructions about where they will be having their procedure done and where to report to in plenty of time.
NHS staff who provide surgery and endoscopy services at Stroud will continue to provide services to patients during the temporary arrangements.
