Building work on a long awaited multi-million pound hospital redevelopment is not expected to begin for at least another year at the earliest.
However, bosses at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton say the £420 million redevelopment is still on track.
Brighton and Hove City Council gave the go-ahead to the ambitious plans a year ago and since then the hospital says significant progress has been made behind the scenes.
The proposals, which have been approved by the NHS South strategic health authority and the Department of Health, are now in the hands of the Treasury and waiting for final approval to release the cash.
Preparation work, which includes getting buildings at the former St Mary’s Hall School nearby ready for the hospital’s use, will start this year.
Arrangements involving moving patients and wards to different areas while building work is carried out will also be finalised.
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust is aiming, subject to Treasury approval, to begin work on the main development in spring 2014.
If all goes to plan, work should finish by the end of 2021.
Helicopter pad
The redevelopment, which will be carried out in three phases, will create hundreds of jobs during and after construction.
It will involve the demolition and replacement of the ageing Barry and Jubilee buildings, an expanded cancer centre and an underground car park.
The existing Thomas Kemp Tower will have a helicopter pad added which means critically ill patients will get the treatment they need more quickly.
There will also be a roof garden plus £550,000 of public transport improvements.
Hard work
Trust project director Duane Passman said: “It has been a year of hard work behind the scenes to bring us to this point. We have worked together with NHS South of England and the Department of Health to refine our business case and both these important bodies have approved it.
“The business case is now being actively reviewed by HM Treasury for final approval. Given the size of the project this is excellent progress.
“NHS South of England has also agreed the majority of funding needed to prepare decant locations for services, staff and patients.
“Work has begun to prepare St Mary’s Hall for use by the hospital and further decant preparations on the main hospital site are timetabled to start in the spring.
“These works are the first physical step towards realising the redevelopment plans for the hospital that have been so widely supported by the people of Brighton and Hove and Sussex.”
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