25/12 Cash injection for four community hospitals

Cash injection for four community hospitals

- Multi-million pound funding will deliver thousands more minor ops and
medical checks closer to patients' homes -
- 'Under threat' community hospitals set for major overhaul -
- Deal signed to drive forward Government's community hospital plans -

Health Minister Lord Warner today announced £44.5 million in funding
for four new community hospitals and health centres. The facilities are
the first to be funded from a £750 million fund for new community
hospitals and services to provide NHS patients with minor operations,
medical tests and follow-up care outside of large hospitals.

The state-of-the-art community hospitals and services in Sunderland,
Bristol, Gosport and Minehead will offer speedy access to medical checks,
ranging from hearing tests to endoscopies, as well as day surgery and
urgent care units.

The funding will give Gosport War Memorial Hospital a major face-lift
under a £6.1 million refurbishment, while £26 million for a new Minehead
Community Hospital will replace the town's old hospital in Somerset.

In total, it is expected that the new facilities will perform around
25,000 medical tests, treat 30,000 minor injuries and handle 20,000
outpatient appointments every year in a major shift of care into community
settings.

Health Minister Lord Warner said:

"A modern health service needs a significant amount of care provided in
state-of-the-art community hospitals. This model of care suits peoples'
daily lives and will help many patients' maintain their independence."

"Today's funding underlines our commitment to the future of community
hospitals and shows our desire to replace outdated and unsuitable
buildings with modern facilities fit for the future."

"These new NHS facilities will turn our white paper proposals for more
care closer to home into reality for thousands of patients. This is
just the first group of new hospitals and there will be more throughout
2007 as we invest £750 million in similar schemes over the next five
years."

Barbara Moore, chief executive of the Community Hospitals Association,
said:
"We are delighted to hear news of the first communities to benefit from
funding to modernise and extend the services available from upgraded or
new community hospitals. Many people will be very relieved that the
future of their community facilities is now secured. We look forward to
seeing this repeated in many other areas."

The four community facilities receiving funding are:

- Washington Primary Care Centre, Sunderland - a new £8.9 million
health centre conveniently located in a shopping centre. Opening in 2008,
the centre will provide a walk-in urgent care and illness unit,
diagnostic and treatment services, kidney dialysis and substance misuse service.
- Gosport War Memorial Hospital, Hampshire - a £6.1 million
refurbishment of the existing community hospital. The investment will deliver six
additional consulting suites, an endoscopy clinic, additional
diagnostic imaging facilities, and 10 rehabilitation beds. Services will open
from 2007.
- Yate Health and Children's Integrated Services Centre, Bristol - a
new £9 million health centre (£5 million provided by the department)
offering outpatient and diagnostic services, an urgent care service, 10 GPs
and community audiology, midwifery, baby clinics. The centre is
expected to open in late 2008.
- Minehead Community Hospital - a major £26 million (£24.5 provided by
the department) redevelopment of the outdated community hospital into a
modern health, leisure and educational park called 'New Horizons'. The
20 bed hospital will include a new diagnostic centre and day theatre,
as well as new dental facilities and urgent care unit. Set to be fully
operational from late 2009.

In July, the department invited Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to bid for
capital funding to build a network of community hospitals, health
centres and polyclinics. These first four successful bids represent just
those PCTs with the most advanced plans. A further round of proposals is
expected from PCTs in January.

The department also announced today that it has completed a deal to
become sole owner of Partnerships for Health (PfH), the public private
partnership set up to encourage investment in GP premises and health
centres.

The deal will assist the implementation of the community hospital
programme. NHS patients will benefit from a more focused delivery of the
community hospital programme, as the department will be able to use the
skills within PfH to support community ventures.

Lord Warner continued:

"Gaining sole ownership of Partnerships for Health is good news for
patients and the NHS in the long term. This deal gives us access to the
skilled and experienced people needed to take forward our plans for a new
generation of NHS community hospitals.

"Patients will benefit from the continued delivery of these community
hospitals, while the deal will also help ensure that the new PCTs can
hit the ground running as they take forward the ongoing NHS LIFT
programme."

James Stewart, Chief Executive of Partnerships UK said:

"Partnerships UK helped develop a major new investment programme for
the health sector. With the primary health schemes delivered and the
market having reached a high level of sophistication and maturity, the time
is now right for us to recycle our skills and resources in other
sectors.

"This has been a highly successful programme which will leave a lasting
impression on the health sector and the patients that use its
facilities right across the country."

In addition to the existing NHS community hospital estate, there are
now 654 one-stop health centres, offering GPs and one or more extended
primary care service, such as dentistry, physiotherapy, health visitors,
pharmacy, optometry, or social work, have opened since 2000, beating
the NHS Plan target of 625 new centres by December 2006.

08/08 New overhead sign installed to improve driver information on M4

New overhead sign installed to improve driver information on M4 near Bristol




An overhead sign gantry will be installed on the M4 between J19 and 20
to improve information as part of a major communciations upgrade.

20/06 PORCHESTER ESTATE - FROM PHAROES TO SCARECROWS

PORCHESTER ESTATE - FROM PHAROES TO SCARECROWS



The Porchester Estate is famous for many reasons: Highclere Castle, the
ancestral home of The Earl of Carnarvon, whose great-grandfather
uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamun; the site of the first flight of De
Haviland's aircraft; the Iron age hill-fort. They may soon add to this list a
haven for wildlife - thanks to an Environmental Stewardship grant from
Defra.

According to a RSPB survey the 10 year project is already paying
dividends as there is now an abundance of farmland birds and priority
species like lapwing, turtle dove and reed bunting have been spotted.

The land, which is used to grow arable crops and graze sheep has
various environmental management elements in place. 100 acres have been left
with over-wintering stubbles to help birds find insects, larvae and
seeds to feed their fledglings. There are also field margins, some sown
with pollen rich seed mixes and wild bird seed cover which not only
attract partridge and pheasant but also rare stone-curlews. Birds of prey,
like buzzards and red kite are also often seen wheeling over-head.

Other points of interest include seven grassed Bronze Age barrows where
Duke of Burgundy butterflies can be seen in the nearby cowslips and the
old quarry where rare orchids often flower. The 150 acres of grassland
on the Beacon Hill, which is managed to encourage a diverse range of
flowering plants, has been designated a Site of Special Scientific
Interest because of its rich wildlife.

Rural Development Service Adviser, Harold Makant said:
"It is very encouraging to see how the wildlife has started to use the
stewardship areas and how the numbers of important farmland birds are
on the increase. What is also very pleasing is to see how the farm have
embraced stewardship management and are now linking the environment to
their agricultural operations."