The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB) today announced that preparation work for a Day Case Unit at Hinckley and District Hospital is set to begin in coming weeks.
The Department of Health and Social Care has extended the spend date of the allocated funding for the new Day Case Unit until March 2026, to enable its delivery. The total cost of the new facility is £10.5million.
A new build Day Case Unit on the existing Hinckley and District Hospital site will see all services delivered from a new building on the Mount Road site linked to the new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC). Development of the DCU is the second phase of our development for Hinckley. This Unit would cater for a wider range of clinical specialities in more modern facilities. Speciality services that would be delivered include breast care, general surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, pain management, plastic surgery, podiatric surgery, renal access surgery, urology and vascular surgery.
Work will now begin at the site to remove asbestos from the building. The site previously had an Asbestos Management Survey and an Asbestos Building Risk Profile (ABRP) to routinely inspect and manage asbestos, ensuring that the property was safe to occupy and conduct routine maintenance in. However, the asbestos removal is necessary for safe demolition of the current building, which will pave the way for a brand-new modern building fit to deliver healthcare services now and in the future.
The removal work is expected to be completed by March 2025. In the meantime, the ICB will be preparing a planning application early next year, for the new modular build. NHS Property Services who own the building approved a business case for the Day Case Unit in March 2024.
Sarah Prema, Chief Strategy Officer at LLR ICB, said: “This is fantastic news for the people of Hinckley and surrounding areas.
“The DHSC decision to extend funding for the project into 2026 will enable delivery of a modern, fit-for-purpose Day Case Unit for the local population allowing care to be delivered closer to home.
“We will continue to work closely with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s planning department and will be submitting a planning application in coming months.”
Bill Cullen, Chief Executive of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, added: “We welcome the continued positive work with our NHS colleagues to ensure investment in new health facilities in Hinckley for the benefit of residents in the borough.”