Colchester Hospital opens £20m new extension

A £20m extension which includes a new children's unit, has opened at an Essex hospital.

This is said by Colchester General Hospital to be its biggest investment since it opened in 1985.

Chief executive Dr Gordon Coutts said: "It is a state-of-the-art facility for patients, staff and visitors.

"Children's services were relocated there last month and a 32-bed surgical ward and an non-emergency centre, went into service at the weekend."

Referral unit

There is now significantly more space, especially for children's outpatient services, part of which had previously been provided in a small temporary building.

The unit has a 28-bed ward, an outpatients department and an acute referral unit for assessment and occasional treatment.

The surgical Mersea Ward with 16 single en-suite rooms and four bays each containing four beds will be for non-emergency patients with ear, nose and throat conditions, general surgery, urology and vascular procedures.

The £1.4m isolation ward that opened in November last year has been expanded increasing the number of beds from 11 to 13.