A brick laying ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on a new £40m redevelopment project at West Cumberland Hospital.
The ceremony was held on Wednesday to mark the beginning of phase two of the work.
Plans include replacing up to 40 per cent of the original hospital and building upon the £90m investment from phase one of the project which was completed in 2015.
The new build will include a paediatric ward and assessment area, a care of the elderly ward, a specialist palliative care ward and a stroke/rehabilitation ward, while keeping the number of beds and retaining services for the site.
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Lyn Simpson said: “Today’s event marks another milestone in the delivery of a much improved environment for both patients and staff at the West Cumberland Hospital.
“The designing and planning of phase two has been a very collaborative process between our clinical teams. To see the beginning of the work is extremely exciting for everyone involved.”
“This is fantastic news for the local community and for our teams here, we know how much this hospital means to everyone and making sure it is fit for the future is so important to all of us here today.”
The event was attended by NCIC chair Peter Scott and executive director of performance, planning and strategy Dean Oliver alongside others from the trust who have been the driving force behind the project.
Peter Reavey, regional director for appointed contractor GRAHAM, said: “We know that a lot of work has gone into reaching this point and our team is committed to carrying that determination and passion forward as the construction programme gets underway.”
The Children and Young People’s unit will be one of the areas being housed in the new build.
Ben Frampton, lead nurse for the unit at NCIC, said: “This is an exciting time for our team, we have had a lot of input into the design of the new ward and wanted to be sure we are putting patients, families and staff at the heart of what we do by listening to all of their views.
“When asked to contribute to ideas for the design of the new ward we wanted to guarantee it worked for our patients and their families. No one wants to have to bring their child to hospital, but if you do find yourself here you want to be cared for in the best environment possible.”
Andrea Hendren, matron for the Copeland Unit and the Loweswater Suite, said: “The patients we care for are at the end of their life, they want the opportunity to go outside in the sunshine, for some time away from the ward with their loved ones. The new facilities will be on the ground floor and will make these things possible and enable the staff to provide the most compassionate care to patients and their families.”
Dean Oliver, executive director of performance for NCIC, said: “We are now looking forward to continuing that good work with GRAHAM, who were appointed as the main building contractor last month, and all our other partners to deliver a first- rate hospital facility for the benefit of the entire community.”
