MORE than £40m has been secured towards a new health and well-being campus in Rhyl that aims to bring essential care services ‘closer to home'.
Last November, in an exclusive interview with the Journal, Gareth Evans, project director and clinical director of therapy services at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), painted a picture as to what a North Denbighshire Community Hospital - on and around the site of the Royal Alexandra Hospital - will offer.
The Welsh Government has now revealed a funding package towards the £40m project.
The three-storey clinical facility will include a minor injuries, being called a same day service; older persons mental health that will work closely with older person physical teams; sexual health; day therapy assessment unit (IV Suite); community dental; radiology services; enhanced outpatient therapy service and inpatient facilities with a ward establishment of 28 beds - 22 of them will be in single rooms with en suite facilities.
The refurbished grade II Royal Alex building will be used for counselling and interview rooms and office accommodation.
There will be a cafe, an increase in car parking, an information point to be staffed by voluntary organisations and plans are in the pipeline to develop a ambulatory care unit.
Revealing the funding, health minister Vaughan Gething, said: “The North Denbighshire Community Hospital will be a key development for healthcare in the area.
"The new hospital will provide a range of services closer to the local community in Rhyl, while also reducing the pressure on services at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.
Gareth Evans project director and clinical director of therapy services at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB)
"The development will also bring major benefits to the area linked with the wider regeneration plans for Rhyl.
"I know how important the Royal Alexandra Hospital is to the community so I’m pleased we have retained this historic and important building alongside a new purpose built centre.”
Ann Jones, Vale of Clwyd AM, welcomed the decision made by Mr Gething.
She said: "I’m absolutely delighted for the area, my constituents and for the future of health services here in North Wales.
"The Welsh Government has announced the funding of £40m to build and enhance the facilities on the Royal Alexandra site, recognising the increasing need for community based health services."
The business case for the North Denbighshire Community Hospital proposed a capital spend of £40.24million for the project, funded by the Welsh Government.
This figure is an increase from the estimate in the Strategic Outline Case of £22.2million.
Speaking to the Journal in November, Mr Evans said: "So the difference in the capital cost.
Gareth Davies show the Journal the vision for the community hospital
“The first thing to say is that is not usual, as Tom Jones would say, for things to differ in an outline business case to a strategic business case. The second phase goes into a lot more detail.
“When I got involved two years ago, because of the length of time, the scope of services and scale of services involved wasn’t quite now what we wanted.
“The obvious example was we wanted to put a minor injuries in the building. That wasn’t in the strategic outline case, but we made a case for it and it has had huge local support. No GP but it will be led by advance nurse practitioners. There was other things as well such as IV therapies, that is a model we have in Llandudno and again, it stops people travelling over the border.”
The figure also rose as it became apparent that original proposals to refurbish and extend the Royal Alex for clinical use would prove costly.
“Surveys of the site told us that the existing building was never really going to be fit for modern day service,” Mr Evans added.
Work on the new development is to begin in autumn 2020 and the hospital is set to open in 2022.
Gary Doherty, chief executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), said: “This development will transform the way we deliver care to people living in North Denbighshire.
“We’re very excited about the potential this project has to help us transform the way healthcare is provided in the Rhyl area, and how it can support the way services are provided at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.”
Chris Ruane, Vale of Clwyd MP, said: "I know for many people this has been a long time coming but it is fantastic news that the funding is now in place to redevelop the Alex site.
"This is a massive amount of investment in health facilities which will benefit people in Rhyl and the wider area and will help alleviate pressures at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd."
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