Sheffield hospital could get new temporary wards

Two new temporary wards could be built at a Sheffield hospital so patients can move out during refurbishment.
Hundreds more no-idling signs are being put upHundreds more no-idling signs are being put up
Hundreds more no-idling signs are being put up

The Northern General Hospital wants to erect a two-storey building to provide a pair of 24-bed wards.

Hospital chiefs hope to have the wards built before winter, when demand for beds traditionally rises.

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JTP Architects, on behalf of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said in a planning application: “The decant war is part of the hospital management strategy to accommodate patients while periodical planned refurbishment works across the hospital site are undertaken.

“The ward will form a vital part of the hospital estate’s future management plan. Patients and staff will be temporarily transferred to this new accommodation during the refurbishment works elsewhere.

“Due to refurbishment words currently being carried out in other areas of the hospital, there is an urgent requirement to complete this new accommodation before the annual increase in demand for winter beds at the hospital which is currently working near to capacity.”

The new wards would be located centrally within the hospital site on a vacant plot next to the Vickers corridor.

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The new accommodation will mean the loss of six staff parking spaces, which will be re-allocated to an alternative car park within the site.

The hospital had its origins in the Fir Vale workhouse and infirmary for which the foundation stone was laid in 1878.

When it opened in September 1881 the infirmary block had capacity for 366 patients. A ward for treating women with venereal diseases was established in the 1890s.

It’s undergone a number of name changes – Sheffield Union Hospital in 1906, Fir Vale Hospital a few years later and City General Hospital in 1930.

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City General Hospital performed the world’s first heart valve replacement operation in 1955 before it merged with the Fir Vale Infirmary to form the Northern General Hospital in 1967.

Lodge Moor Hospital closed in 1994 and the chest and spinal injuries unit transferred to the Northern.

A post operative surgical unit costing £21.3 million was opened in summer 2008. In June 2016, a new £2m helipad opened at the hospital close to its A&E department.

The site’s architectural styles vary greatly from the original Victorian red brick to more recent timber cladding.

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Planning officers are still considering the application, which can be viewed here

https://planningapps.sheffield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=PSZU3SNYHNF00