THE FINAL brick has been laid at Stratford Hospital.
The £22million hospital on Arden Street is due to open next spring and will offer more services to those living in and around the town. It will include state-of-the art cancer services, eye unit and health and wellbeing hub.
Glen Burley, chief executive of South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) – which runs the hospital – said: “It has been great working on the new hospital and seeing the final brick being laid makes me realise how far the development has progressed.
“Stratford Hospital is going to be fantastic for communities across south Warwickshire, enabling us to deliver more services locally and I look forward to seeing our patients benefit from the first class facilities.“
The new cancer unit will be made up of 12 treatment chairs and two side rooms – allowing chemotherapy to be carried out on site and providing an emergency cancer unit for patients to receive specialist care rather than using the Accident and Emergency department.
There will also be a Macmillan Cancer Support information centre similar to the one in the Aylesford Unit at nearby Warwick Hospital.
The eye unit meanwhile, will give people access to specialised eye treatment facilities and is set to include a new theatre – designed to treat a range of eye conditions.
Hospital chiefs hope the new facilities will help reduce travel time and make it easier for patients who live within Stratford district and south Warwickshire.
And to support the new development the trust launched a £1million fundraising appeal.
It is hoped the Cancer and Eye appeal will help fund everything from specialist chemotherapy chairs to iPads, which do not come as standard in the hospital.
And the trust are drawing close to their target, having raised an more than £800,000 so far.
Visit www.stratfordhospital.co.uk to find out more about the appeal.
