14.02.18
Hospital could be demolished to make way for £40m health and wellbeing campus
Halton Hospital in Cheshire could be demolished amid government plans to construct a new health and wellbeing campus on the site.
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS FT revealed details of the programme, which would see the nearby Cheshire and Merseyside Treatment Centre expanded to replace the current provision for operations and other clinical services.
The area where the hospital currently is will be reused to create a centre for more community-based care as part of the government’s ‘Healthy Towns’ initiative.
The trust said it had put forward a £40m bid to NHS England detailing its plans for the site and future operations in the area.
In a statement, the trust explained that it expected to receive a reply from the national body by next month, but that its situation was different from the nine other Healthy Towns locations because of the presence of the hospital.
“We are unique – we are the only demonstrator site selected by NHS England that has a hospital at its centre,” a spokesperson commented.
“This gives us an exciting opportunity to create a health and wellbeing campus at the very heart of Halton Lea, bringing together all of the elements required to deliver a badge-less, seamless health and social care system for the people of Halton.”
Under the plans, Halton Lea, the area in which the hospital is currently situated, would see the development of around 400 new homes alongside the health and wellbeing centre. NHS England hopes this would generate income while also brining care services closer to communities.
The Halton Health Campus would be home to a number of new services, including facilities for GPs and a diagnostic imaging centre.
Last month, it was announced that NHS England would be moving to work more closely with housebuilders to accelerate Healthy Towns plans. The organisation opened applications for developers across the country to join a network which would prioritise healthy living schemes in new housing developments.
Top image: Marbury
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