Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, completion on track despite coronavirus

Janet King, senior responsible officer of the project, gave an update to Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead councillors at an adult, children, and health overview and scrutiny panel on September 30 (Wednesday).

She said the project is still on course to be completed in July 2021 but has had a ‘hairy time’ due their contractors, Kiers, losing a lot of labour, and having difficulties maintaining a 2m distance from each other during the pandemic.

The project has had a small cash boost from its original £98 million budget to pay for an internal road to link up to the hospital.

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Improvement works on the main roundabout in Heatherwood is due to be completed by June 2021 at the latest, with a new road layout created to improve traffic flow and safety.

Works have also been undertaken by Kiers to ‘rejuvenate’ the nearby woodland for the community to use by creating trails and managing the trees and shrubs.

The new hospital will have six operating theatres, a range of outpatient services, 48 inpatient beds – some with terraces and ensuites – a plant room on the roof, up-to-date diagnostics, and consultation/examination rooms for both NHS and private.

It will also provide 151 regular and 16 disabled car parking spaces for the public, 240 regular and six disabled car parking spaces for staff, provisions for electric vehicle charging, a bus stop, and cycle parking.

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Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust was grant planning permission in 2017 for Heatherwood Hospital to be demolished and relocated to nearby woodland.

Around 230 homes will replace the current hospital site – which is almost a century old.

The grand opening of the Heatherwood Hospital is estimated to be in winter 2021/22 – but a date will be confirmed once the electronic patient record is fully implemented.