The construction of a new £15m healthcare ward in Gorleston offers a glimpse of how the new James Paget University Hospital will operate.
More than 35 modules - some as long as 16 metres - have been pieced together in just over a week to construct a new concept ward at the hospital.
In 2020, the James Paget was selected to be one of 40 new hospitals built across England by 2030. The new concept ward will provide a blueprint for how inpatients will receive care when the new hospital is built.
Thirty-seven modules, which were delivered last week, have been placed on a plot of land on the northern part of the hospital site.
Once completed, the ward will have 28 beds - two four-bed bays and 20 single bedrooms with windows, en suite facilities and space for visitors to stay.
Paul Morris, chief nurse at the James Paget, said: "We have made the decision to develop a new ward space that showcases the possibilities of what our new hospital could look like in the future. Providing single bedrooms will give our patients and their families and carers additional privacy, and a quieter environment for their care.
"We are excited that this facility will provide our nurse and healthcare staff with experience of innovative new ways of working – and we will listen to their feedback, and the views of patients being cared for on the ward - as we continue our plans for a new hospital."
The James Paget, which opened its doors in 1982, has reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels across its main hospital building. These panels are subject to a programme of survey and precautionary engineering work involving the installation of timber supports to ensure the existing hospital remains safe until the new site is built.
The creation of the new ward space will give the hospital additional capacity which will allow wards in the main building to be emptied while the precautionary supports are installed, without any disturbances to patient care.
Developed in conjunction with healthcare design and construction company Health Spaces, the new ward is scheduled to be completed by April 2023 and is being constructed using £15m of funding from the Department of Health and Social Care.
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