Publish date: 13 March 2024
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has reached a significant milestone in its plans for the development of a new Leighton Hospital campus by purchasing land directly next to the existing hospital site.
The areas of land, which surround the current hospital will become part of the new Leighton site.
Ian Moston, Mid Cheshire Hospitals Chief Executive Officer believes this is a moment to truly celebrate.
He said: ‘This is a major milestone in the journey to removing our risk from Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and looking towards our new estate. By purchasing this land we can begin to finalise our plans to develop a world-class health and care campus for our local community. A new site that will deliver first-rate care for patients – transforming health outcomes and addressing health inequality for our local population.”
Russ Favager, Board Senior Responsible Officer, Leighton New Hospital Programme and Estates Redevelopment, agrees that the land purchase further cements our commitment to the national programme of New Hospitals.
He said: “We are fully supportive of the Hospital 2.0 model and are delighted to be a reference site for the development of the standardised approach. We are confident in the huge benefits this approach will bring for our people, our patients and the local health and care system. These benefits will be seen not only in the way health and care is planned and delivered but also in the social value that this significant investment will bring to support the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of our local communities.”
He added: “To get to this stage is testimony to the collaborative approach to working together across Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust, our partners, and the national programme team. As we move through the planning and business case development stages we are committed to this partnership approach, continuing the close working with our local health and care partners as well as the national New Hospital Programme Team in order to drive forward with our ambitions to deliver our New Leighton campus by 2030.”
In the future the land will be surrounded by dedicated fencing and the Trust will then be inviting local organisations, schools and charities to be involved, sharing their ambitions for a new hospital through a programme of engagement.
Dr Clare Hammell, the Trust’s Chief Medical Officer and Deputy CEO strongly believes that the plans for the new hospital health and care campus should be developed in partnership with the people and communities that will work and use the services.
She said: “This is the beginning of our exciting programme of engagement and involvement. By working together to design services we can ensure that our plans transform services for people’s needs today and those of our communities in the future.”
Leighton Hospital, part of the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is to be replaced with a state-of-the-art new build following confirmation in May 2023 that it has been included in the Government’s New Hospital Programme.
Further details of the plans for the New Leighton Campus will be shared through Mid Cheshire Hospital’s website.
