'Radical' plans for a new £2.3bn major hospital

Plans for a £2.3bn acute hospital run by a region's major trauma centre trust as part of a "radical new" care model have emerged.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), which operates Addenbrooke's Hospital, said more than 70% of its current estate was in "poor or bad condition" and it has an acute bed deficit of about 160.

A date for the new hospital is not known, but the trust's wider plans seek to include a "neighbourhood health service" to support people in the community.

The future of the existing Addenbrooke's site was being considered as plans develop, the trust said.

Under the new care model, CUH hoped patients would only need to attend hospital for emergencies or specialist care that cannot be delivered locally.

Addenbrooke's Hospital has been on the site on Hills Road, Cambridge, since the 1960s, but CUH said the city's population was "set to grow by in excess of 60% by 2040 to meet the government's ambition for economic growth in this region".

In papers received by South Cambridgeshire District Council's Scrutiny Committee on Monday, CUH stated "by contrast, hospital facilities have not kept pace with rising demand", including an emergency department built for a quarter of the patients it currently serves.

"We are clear that our current care model is not serving our population, and will not be sustainable from a staffing, funding or space perspective in the future," the trust said.

"We require a radical rethink of how and where we deliver care to meet the needs of our patients," it added.

The hospital trust has used £3m of government money to develop the initial plans -which included a new hospital on the biomedical campus.

CUH said it was now seeking funding "to progress towards completing an outline business case for a £2.3bn new-build hospital".

Sian Coggle, the clinical director for acute care strategy at CUH, said "Over the past two years we have been working with our partners across the health and care system to make a shift towards proactive, personalised care delivered closer to home.

"Our long-term vision is to create a sustainable, future-ready health system that meets the needs of a growing population while supporting economic growth and innovation.

"By planning ahead and working in partnership, we aim to deliver the world-class care our patients need as part of a growing Cambridge."

CUH said that by 2040 the trust would need double the number of beds it currently has and an emergency department five or six times the size.

As a key part of the plans, the trust wanted to start a health centre "in each neighbourhood".

These would enable "access to traditionally hospital-based services such as diagnostics, post-operative care and mental health services, as well as acting as one-stop shops for wider health and wellbeing services, such as debt management, housing advice, smoking cessation, employment support and social prescribing".

Meanwhile, for this winter the trust has renovated the Urgent Care Centre, which treats minor injuries and has a GP service.

It has also introduced digital assessments when patients arrive at its emergency departments and urgent care centre "which will will help ensure timely, safe and high-quality care", according to Stephen Wallis, CUH's deputy medical director for operations.

The Department for Health and Social Care and the local integrated care board have been contacted for comment.

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