Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has kicked off the construction of a new state-of-the-art £350m hospital in Cwmbran.
The Health Secretary announced that the new hospital, which has been known as the Specialist and Critical Care Centre, would be known as The Grange University Hospital.
Welsh Government funding for the new 470 bed hospital was confirmed in October 2016. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board expect the hospital will open to patients in the Spring of 2021.
The Grange University Hospital forms a key part of the ambitious Clinical Futures strategy, launched in 2004, to modernise health services in Gwent. When built, the facility will treat patients who need complex and acute emergency care in the Gwent region and will include a 24 hour specialist assessment facility, intensive care, comprehensive diagnostics, inpatient beds for major emergencies and complex surgery, and theatres.
While the hospital will play an integral part of the delivery of services in Gwent, the Welsh Government expects it to have a strong regional role in south Wales, becoming part of the major acute hospitals network providing safe and sustainable specialised services which deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.
Vaughan Gething said:
Judith Paget, Chief Executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, 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. It will bring together complex and more acute services onto one site and improve the quality of care for the very sickest patients.”
“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.”