Good progess is being made on the new Tenby Cottage Hospital, Mansel Thomas, chair of the Local Implementation Group, was happy to report at a recent meeting. Indeed, the Minor Injury Unit, Outpatients and Day Care will soon be provided from this modern facility in Gas Lane. Mr. Thomas also referred to recent concerns that the beds in the existing hospital might close as a result of a cost saving exercise undertaken by Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust. He was able to confirm, however, that this threat to inpatient services had now been resolved and that Tenby beds would remain open. Working sub-group meetings have taken place recently to finalise the user requirements for equipment, furniture and blinds for individual services. All items of equipment will comply with Health and Safety, Infection Control and Moving and Handling regulations. Banks of chairs for the waiting room have been chosen, along with higher chairs for patients who have mobility difficulties. Furniture has also been chosen for the new Day Centre. This unit will have spacious modern rooms, including an activity room, physiotherapy area, bathing and hairdressing facilities. Colour schemes have also been chosen for the entire hospital and a neutral co-ordinated theme of creams, beiges and blue will run throughout the building. Fabric choices will be made shortly to blend in with the overall scheme. Users of the services will be given an opportunity to choose pictures and other items that they would like in the new building. All offices and storage areas within the building have had office layouts designed in consultation with the Trust's health and safety officer. Computer requirements have been taken on board and will be ordered soon. This will be a state-of-the-art facility using modern technology wherever possible. In terms of progress to building work, the foundations, steel frame and floors have all been completed. The external walls are complete, together with the fixture of windows and glazing panels. The main progress has been made on the interior, with the internal partitioning and plasterboards complete to the majority of the areas. The scheme is slightly behind schedule by two weeks, giving a revised handover date of December 19 and a provisional opening date of January 31, 2006. A communication strategy will be implemented soon to inform local people and tourists regarding the change to location of the hospital. All road signs for the new hospital have been taken on board by the highways department from the local authority. Some new hospital signs will be in place by the end of September and will be covered over until the facility opens. A small group is due to meet to discuss how the hospital car park will be managed in the summer months, when it will be important to keep spaces free for patients. With regard to the provision of 10 beds in the independent sector to replace the existing Tenby Cottage Hospital beds, negotiations are ongoing with a local nursing home. Pembrokeshire Local Health Board has recently signed an agreement with Park House Court Nursing Home, to work towards a contract agreement for the provision of the inpatient beds.
