WORK to demolish dilapidated and unused buildings at Overdale has begun as the Infrastructure Minister seeks full support for the government’s latest plan for new hospital facilities.
Deputy Tom Binet said he was “hopeful” that the construction of the new acute hospital would begin in 2025, if the States Assembly backs the New Healthcare Facilities Programme.
The Our Hospital scheme, which was being overseen by Deputy Lyndon Farnham, was abandoned in 2022 after a review, led by Deputy Binet, found the proposals for a single-site hospital at Overdale were no longer achievable within the £804.5 million of funding approved by the previous States Assembly.
The government is instead seeking to build healthcare facilities over several locations, including Overdale, Kensington Place and the current Gloucester Street site.
Under the current plans, the ageing Overdale site is the proposed location for a new acute hospital, which will include emergency and critical care, women’s and children’s services, operating theatres, the renal unit, and the majority of inpatient wards.
The draft Government Plan, which is due to be debated this month, allocates £52m to the programme for 2024 in addition to the the £51.5m set aside this year.
The £52m will take the project to June or July next year, when States Members will be asked to back the plans for the new acute hospital at Overdale, including funding proposals.
Demolition of the remainder of the existing buildings on the site is planned for 2024 and, subject to receiving the support of the Assembly, the construction of the new acute hospital will start in 2025. The facility would open its doors to patients and staff in 2028.
Deputy Binet said: “We know Islanders want us to get on and deliver the healthcare facilities that health staff and Islanders have been waiting for.
“Now that we have started progress with the removal of the buildings at the back of the Overdale site, we look forward to sharing the early designs for the new acute hospital early in 2024, when we will be asking Islanders for their feedback.”
Deputy Binet described the work, which started this week following extensive asbestos surveys, as “significant”.
He said: “People on the Island have bought into the concept of what we’re doing in terms of having broken it down. We’ve spread the project over a longer period of time, which gives us a bit more stability, a little bit less money being spent up front in the first instance, but we do end up with an acute hospital.
“It’s a case of dealing with the priorities and the priority absolutely is the acute section.”
He added: “The project that we have got here makes an awful lot of sense and I am very hopeful that we will get full support for it.”
Meanwhile, a Westmount property, which was purchased as part of the previous government’s Our Hospital project, is now being used as a children’s home (story on page 9).
