17th July 2017
Building work starts on new hospital in Cwmbran
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething AM will today (17th July 2017) cut the first ground on the building of a brand new hospital in Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran.
The Health Secretary will also announce that the £350 million new hospital, which has been known as the Specialist and Critical Care Centre (SCCC), will be known as The Grange University Hospital / ‘Ysbyty Prifysgol y Faenor’.
The vast programme of works will see the state-of-the-art hospital developed on the Llanfrechfa Grange site over the coming years.
Welsh Government funding for the new 471-bed hospital was confirmed in October 2016 and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board expect its doors to open to patients in the Spring of 2021.
The Grange University Hospital forms a key part of the Health Board’s wider Clinical Futures Strategy, launched in 2004, to modernise health services in Gwent and will create a highly specialised environment to support the treatment of patients who need complex and acute emergency care. The hospital will also have a key regional role, working as part of the wider major acute hospital system across south Wales.
The new hospital will deal with all major emergencies, and will treat and care for those needing complex emergency or critical care. It will be home to more than 40 specialist services, and will have a helicopter pad for patients who need to arrive by air ambulance.
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport, Vaughan Gething, said: “I’m really pleased to be here today to mark the construction process of what will become a state-of-the-art hospital in Gwent.
“I am pleased to announce that the hospital will be known as The Grange University Hospital, and it will bring together complex and more acute services onto one site. This will improve the quality of care for the very sickest patients.”
Judith Paget, Chief Executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “The Grange University Hospital is a major part of our Clinical Futures Strategy and everybody associated with the Health Board is extremely excited that work has now started on this state-of-the-art facility. It will help us to create a much improved care environment, timely access to emergency care, and ensure patients get the best outcomes from their care.
“We have received fantastic support from local people living in the Health Board area as they understand the benefits this hospital and a new 21st Century model of healthcare will bring.
“I would like to thank our staff for their hard work in getting us to this point and we will continue to work closely with our staff, our local communities, and with Gleeds and Laing O’Rourke to ensure this new hospital is one we can all be proud of.”
Laing O’Rourke, along with cost and project managers Gleeds, will be helping to deliver the project on time and within budget.
Laing O’Rourke Chief Executive, Ray O’Rourke, said: “We are looking forward to playing our part in delivering these important and much needed specialist care facilities for the south of Wales. Laing O’Rourke brings engineering expertise, innovation in healthcare construction, a committed and energised team and an absolute focus on delivery certainty. This will be a partnership with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board for the benefit of the local community.”
Director for Gleeds in Wales, Simon Williams, said: “Having worked with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board since 2007 through the development of the business case process for Welsh Government approval, it’s exciting to have reached this significant milestone. Not only will the hospital provide specialist care for the people of Gwent, but it will set a benchmark for new build healthcare projects in Wales.”
Six hundred people will be employed in the construction of the hospital, a process which will involve the moving of 150,000 cubic metres of soil.
There will be 30,000 cubic metres of concrete required and, once completed, the hospital will contain 10,500 voice and data points, 13,500 light fittings, and 190 kilometres of cables.