The new £98 million Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot has officially received green light and construction work is on its way. The project leader is Kier, aiming to replace the ageing Heatherwood Hospital with a new state of the art facility, located in woodland behind the current site.

“We are delighted that work to build a new hospital can now begin on the Heatherwood site. This will be a fantastic hospital fit for the 21st century, offering state-of the-art care for our patients and a first class working environment for our staff,” said Dr Tim Ho, medical director at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Specialising in planned, non-emergency procedures such as orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, gynaecology and endoscopy, the new facility will have six operating theatres and 48 inpatient beds, plus 22 day case cubicles. Moreover, it will also include space for the Trust’s private patient unit.

In addition, the facility will offer a range of outpatient and diagnostic facilities, including cardiology, radiology, lithotripsy, children’s clinic, physiotherapy and orthodontics and space for a primary care hub with GPs, community nurses and other healthcare specialists.

“We are delighted that we can now deliver our vision for the Heatherwood site. The new hospital will ensure we can offer local patients the best care in the best environment and it is a key part of our strategy to remain an innovative and outstanding trust well into the future. We can’t wait to get started,” commented Frimley Health chief executive Neil Dardis.

The new Heatherwood Hospital is the latest major development in Frimley Health’s £200 million capital investment programme, expected to be complete by late 2021.