Hinckley Day Case Unit

 

 

 

Bringing healthcare closer to home: improving community health services in Hinckley

Preparation work for a Day Case Unit (DCU) at Hinckley and District Hospital is underway, following a move from the Department of Health and Social Care to extend the spend date of the allocated funding for the new Day Case Unit until March 2026, to enable its delivery. The total cost of the new facility is £10.5million. A new build Day Case Unit on the existing Hinckley and District Hospital site will see all services delivered from a new building on the Mount Road site linked to the new Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC).

 

Engaging with local people on plans for the Day Case Unit

Local people had the opportunity to find out more about the proposals for the Day Case Unit (DCU), as well as be able to view plans first-hand, at a drop-in event on 12 February 2025. The NHS project team, clinicians, representative of the local Patient Participation Group (PPG), architects and designers of the new site were on hand to speak directly with people and answer any questions.

Development of the DCU is the second phase of our development for Hinckley. This Unit would cater for a wider range of clinical specialities in more modern facilities. Speciality services that would be delivered include plastic surgery, general surgery, vascular surgery, ophthalmology, urology, podiatric surgery and gynaecology.

Work is currently taking place at the site to remove asbestos from the building. The site previously had an Asbestos Management Survey and an Asbestos Building Risk Profile (ABRP) to routinely inspect and manage asbestos, ensuring that the property was safe to occupy and conduct routine maintenance in. However, the asbestos removal is necessary for safe demolition of the current building, which will pave the way for a brand-new modern building fit to deliver healthcare services now and in the future.

 

Design of the Day Case Unit

The proposed new DCU will be primarily a single storey building with an enclosed area for flora at first floor level. It will have a similar design and appearance to the adjacent Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), that is nearing completion and scheduled to be open in spring. The proposals include the widening of the access along the site’s eastern boundary and development of additional car parking that will integrate with the parking that is under construction for the adjacent CDC.

We’re currently exploring two similar options for the building’s design, one with an entrance facing the new parking area and health centre in a similar manner to the CDC, and one with the main entrance facing Mount Road. It is essential that we are able to develop an ambulance drop off/pick up point adjacent to the main entrance and also parking for those with limited mobility. Our current preference is to align the main entrance with the CDC and to develop it facing the health centre, but we are still developing the scheme’s detailed design.

The proposals include the replacement of the existing hospital that we know will be cherished by many local people. We have explored options to integrate the existing building into the scheme, but we have concluded that it is not viable. The layout of the existing hospital was not suitable for the services that previously existed within it (including x-ray and endoscopy services that will be re-provided within the new CDC), and it would not be suitable for Day Case Surgery services. We’ve therefore concluded that the best option is to replace it with a new building that can be developed to modern standards to treat double the number of Day Case Surgery patients (around 2,000 rather than 1,000 people a year) than were treated in the existing hospital in an efficient, accessible, patient friendly and energy efficient environment that will meet modern healthcare requirements, including current standards for air flow, ventilation and infection control.

During our drop-in event on 12 February, we discussed two design options with members of the public. These can be viewed by clicking on the design plans below:

Option A

Click here to see design plans for Option A. 

Click here to see design plans for Option A.

Option B

Click here to see design plans for Option B.

Click here to see design plans for Option B. 

 

Benefits to local people

The DCU will mean services are provided closer to home for local people, avoiding the need to travel to other hospitals further away, in a modern, fit for purpose building that meets the needs of a growing population.

We’re hoping to be able to incorporate some of the materials from the existing hospital into the new building and to also include a commemorative area to reflect the site’s importance in providing healthcare for the people of Hinckley and the surrounding areas for more than a century.

 

Timescales

• A start on site will depend on a decision on the planning application.
• If permission is granted, works will start on site this year (2025) and anticipated
  completion will be next year (2026).

 

Related news

Hinckley residents invited to drop-in event to discuss plans for a Day Case Unit