Detailed plans for brand new £110m Women and Children’s building at the Countess of Chester Hospital to be unveiled

News and Info from Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Jun 3rd, 2023

Detailed plans for a brand new Women and Children’s building at the Countess of Chester Hospital will be unveiled at a public forum meeting next week.

Planning permission has already been given the green light for the £110m three-storey facility, which will replace the existing Women and Children’s Building (WCB) that has been in use since 1971.

Most services currently housed in the existing Women and Children’s Building will move into the new development – Including maternity, neonatal, paediatrics and gynaecology – with increased capacity and additional modern rest spaces for patients, families and staff to enjoy.

The proposals reflect the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust’s ambition to provide the highest quality care for patients and their families, using state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure to enhance treatment options for the local community and wider region.

Maternity services at the Countess currently support around 2,300 expectant families every year from Chester, Ellesmere Port and the surrounding areas including North Wales.

The new development would offer use of a new ground floor full delivery suite for 11 births, with two Obstetric theatres, before moving to a first floor Maternity Ward with 24 single bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms.

A neonatal unit with up to 16 cots will also be on the ground floor, while the second floor will house a new Children’s Ward, complete with access to overnight accommodation for patients, as well as increased rest facilities for hospital staff.

The plans will be discussed in more detail at a public forum meeting, which will be held at The Education and Training Centre on Wednesday, June 7.

Open to everyone, the meeting will be a chance to ask questions, see impressions of what the development will look like, and be updated on its progress.

Joan Carter, Project Director for the Trust, said:

“The new facility will be a step-change in the way we will provide high quality care and treatment to our local community and the wider region so we would welcome the chance to discuss our plans with anyone who is interested.

“You will get to speak to clinical and project teams as well as the construction partners who will be on hand to answer questions and show images of what the floor layouts will be like for the new building.

“We will also share a graphic ‘walkthrough’ of the development, to give a sense and feel of what is coming.”