Last updated 14:31, Monday, 24 November 2008

PLANS for Cockermouth’s new £14 million community hospital have been revealed.

The new building will be part of a new generation of health villages that will be built in Cumbria and will see services delivered closer to patients homes.

The new health village will combine a new community hospital, GP and other services on one site and is part of NHS Cumbria’s £250 million Closer to Home masterplan, which aims to deliver more services closer to where patients live.

The current building on Isel Road and is over 100 years old and it is thought that it can no longer offer the modern health services patients need.

The new building, will be built next to the current hospital on the on land owned by the Cockermouth League of Friends and would have nine beds on site.

NHS Cumbria is hoping that the new health village will be able to benefit all parts of the community.

Doctor John Howarth, clinical director of adult services in primary care trust hospitals said: “This is an exciting time for Cockermouth.
“These plans promise to deliver health care facilities equal to the best available anywhere in Europe.

“The opportunity for GPs in the town to work more closely together is a particularly exciting prospect. 

“This in a once in a generation opportunity to revitalise community hospitals in Cumbria and deliver world class health services patients deserve.”

In addition to the diagnostic tests and rehabilitation services that the hospital will offer, the health village will also offer a home for two of the town’s GP practices, Fitz Road surgery and South Street surgery.

Both are considered to be too old to provide up to date services and also have difficult access for patients.

It is hoped that the new building will be able to offer extra services to cope with predicted increase of elderly people in the town over the next few years.

Dr Howarth added: “We all share different skills and interests and the opportunity to work more closely would enable us to deliver many more services to patients.”

If the Cockermouth plans are approved this week by NHS Cumbria, they will be submitted to the regions Strategic Health Authority, NHS Northwest.

Then if the plans receive regional approval, planning permission will be sought early next year prior to work beginning some time in 2009, with the rebuild taking more than two years to complete.

The move comes two years after a campaign to save West Cumbria’s community hospitals from closure.

Award winning health care architect Jonathan Bailey has been asked to come up with a design brief for the project.

A business plan for Keswick’s and Maryport’s community hospitals will be drawn up next year.