A HOSPITAL in the county is set to benefit from a £10.2 million investment, 

Cheltenham General Hospital (CGH) is set to benefit the investment to build a new orthopaedic theatre and birthing unit.

The Hospitals’ Trust has secured £7.5m government funding to build a purpose-built theatre dedicated to orthopaedic surgery such as hip and knee replacements and £2.7m to transform the birthing unit into a purpose-built midwifery-led birthing unit.

In addition to the new theatre there will also be new high-tech equipment including ultra clean ventilation, viewing monitors, multi-use carbon fibre theatre tables, state-of-the-art operating equipment and x-ray facilities with the future possibilities of using robotic assisted surgery. 

Stroud News and Journal:

The birthing unit will be relocated to the ground floor of the St Paul’s wing, improving accessibility and patient experience. It will have two birthing rooms, each with birthing pools, communal pantry with associated facilities and community midwives’ facilities.    

Subject to planning permission works are due to start later in the year and be completed within 18/24 months.

Lisa Stephens, Interim Director of Midwifery, said: “The challenges in midwifery have been well documented recently and this investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to service provision in the area.

"This presents us with a fantastic opportunity to provide the next generation of care in the best possible environment for both our patients and staff.” 

Chief executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Deborah Lee added: “I hope this investment, and subsequent investments at Cheltenham, puts to bed any lasting speculation that the hospital doesn’t have a future or is somehow under threat.

"We view our two hospitals as an opportunity.

"We demonstrated this in the way we managed and responded during the pandemic and we are now seeing this in the way that we plan for the county’s long-term provision of acute hospital services.” 

This latest funding round comes on top of a £112m-plus programme already announced which will the NHS Trust says will transform the way patient care is delivered at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals (GRH).

Across each site the money is being used to construct new buildings, provide cutting edge technology, develop pioneering clinical practice, digital transformation and green initiatives.