Land acquisition paves the way for Great Western Hospital expansion

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has completed the purchase of 5.5 hectares of land, allowing it to take the next steps in its strategic development plans.

The Trust has been able to purchase this expansion land following a successful bid for £30million of government funding in 2018.

The purchase of this land creates a strategic opportunity for future development on the GWH site, to improve services and ensure the Trust can meet the demand created by Swindon and North Wiltshire’s rapid population growth.

The purchase of the land has been managed as part of the Trust’s ‘Way Forward Programme’, under which a series of hospital improvement projects are being taken forward.

These projects will enable the relocation of non-acute services to the expansion land, which will facilitate Urgent and Emergency Care (U&EC) capacity expansion in the main hospital, and will include the development of an Integrated Rehabilitation Facility (IRF).

Kevin McNamara, Chief Executive at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is a really exciting step forward in our plans to expand and improve our healthcare services for the people of Swindon – securing this land is an investment in Swindon.  It is important not just for today but for future generations given a growing and aging population. 

“We want to use this land to develop health and care facilities on the Great Western Hospital site and now that we will secure the land, our attention and our work turns to securing funds to build and expand our services onto it.”