Health trust gives county councillors a progress update on new Berwick hospital project

The “21st century hospital” will replace the existing Berwick Infirmary, parts of which date back to 1874.

In February, it was hoped to open the replacement building at the end of 2024, but at a meeting of Northumberland County Council’s health and well-being board last week, members were given the updated timeframe.

Speaking at the meeting, officials said an archaeological dig conducted as part of the project had uncovered “significant finds”, with some dating back to 1100AD. Walls, pottery and fish bones had all been found.

Damon Kent, the managing director at Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management, said work was now progressing – with the steel frame of the building itself “70% complete”.

He added that work on the frame is set to be finished in February. Once the frame of the hospital is up, the stairs and floors will be installed along with an accessible rooftop.

The building will be clad and glazed externally to weatherproof it and ensure it is watertight. The offsite manufactured components will then be put in place and the building will be fitted out.

Mr Kent added: “The hospital modules are built in a factory. This is a tried and tested method, but relatively new in healthcare.”

Finally, the remaining old hospital buildings will be demolished, the car park and access roads will be built, and landscaping work completed.

Due to the fact the new hospital is being built next to its predecessor, in November a new, temporary ward was installed to ensure inpatients can remain on the hospital site.

The trust’s executive director of nursing, Marion Dickinson, said: “If we weren’t able to do that, staff might have had to travel down to Wansbeck.”

Marion, who lives in Berwick, added patients were “delighted” with the temporary ward’s facilities.

She also explained that the new hospital would provide the “same services as before” while also “adding a few more”. The new services have not yet been finalised, although there is a recognition that there is a struggle for dental care in the area.

Marion added: “Dental is a huge problem. We’re having conversations about having accommodation on site and looking for anything innovative that we can do.”