Cottage hospital ‘health village’ plans revealed
Last updated 19:52, Thursday, 23 October 2008
PLANS to rebuild Cockermouth’s cottage hospital to include extra services to cope with the increase of pensioners in the town have been revealed.
Health bosses want to replace the Isel Road building with a ‘health village’ that will offer more than hospital services to the town.
The new building, on the Isel Road site, will be bigger, offer more services and become a focal point for the community, said Dr John Howarth, clinical director of adult services in primary care trust hospitals, who has been involved in the schem.
Services will include diagnostic tests, therapy sessions to help people into rehabilitation and other specialist treatments.
There will also be improved technology and other specialist machines to help the hospital provide the most efficient service.
The building will have education rooms, a children’s centre and extra hospital beds, and the hospital will work with volunteers and improve customer service relations.
Work is due to start on Cockermouth’s rebuild next year, and will take more than two years to complete.
Dr Howarth said:“We do not have any firm plans yet about what the new hospital will include but we hope to develop it into a hub for the community.
“We are looking to improve our quality of care, which will be a big challenge because there will be a predicted increase of elderly people living in the town over the next two years.
“We need to be ready for this challenge, as demand is going to double, and this is why we need the new cottage hospital.
“It will provide more beds and space and will offer a greater range of services for the patients.
“A town like Cockermouth should have some kind of quality care and we need something a bit different in the town and I think that the hospital will provide this.”
Dr Howarth said he wanted to bring the hospitals up to the same standards as hospitals in Europe.
The move comes two years after a campaign to save West Cumbria’s community hospitals from closure.
Dr Howarth told about 30 people at a neighbourhood forum meeting at Lorton Street Methodist Church: “We have had widespread support for the new community hospital.”
“We need new investment in these community services and we will look a health village in the town.”
New health managers at NHS Cumbria have pushed ahead with plans to develop rather than close cottage hospital buildings.
It is part of a £250 million Closer to Home strategy, and a business plan for Keswick’s and Maryport’s community hospitals will be drawn up next year.
Architect Jonathan Bailey has been asked to create design briefs for each of the hospitals.
Workington’s £10 million community hospital is not involved in the plan as it has only been open for three years.
