Wycombe Hospital refurbishment plans approved

Plans to refurbish part of Wycombe Hospital have been approved by Buckinghamshire Council.

The hospital plans include the creation of a new CT scanner room, recovery bay, bedroom, gowning lobby, and ventilation units.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust had applied to Buckinghamshire Council for permission for the alterations and refurbishment.

The hospital will now build a new single en-suite bedroom with an adjoining en-suite and gowning lobby, a two-bed bay room with an en-suite, and a new CT scanner room with ancillary spaces and a recovery bay.

There will also be new plant and ductwork installed on an existing flat roof, along with ventilation units, a fixed roof access ladder, and a guard rail.

It said in a planning statement: “The majority of the works are internal alterations and refurbishments, including the creation of a new CT scanner room with a recovery bay and associated spaces; a new single-bed bay and a new two-bed bay to expand the Cardiac Surgical Recovery Unit (CSRU) facilities.

“The external works are limited to new plant installations such as ductwork, condenser units, air handling units (AHU) and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) units.

“The new AHU and condenser units are to be installed at ground-floor level, away from the main entrance to the building.

“The MVHR units are to be installed on the existing flat roof within white GRP enclosures, on a rooftop support system.

“The proposal also includes a new steel access ladder for plant equipment maintenance on the flat roof and a roof guard rail system to protect workers from falls.

“The application proposes no change to site access (vehicle or pedestrian, car parking, service areas, or boundary treatments).

“The main entrance to the building is to remain unchanged. Control of deliveries will require careful management and will be contained within the area.”

The hospital, on Queen Alexandra Road, is a concrete and steel-framed building, varying from one to three storeys in height, including some levels below ground.

In 2024, the NHS Trust was reported as having a £100m repairs backlog, more than 80 per cent relating to Wycombe Hospital.

The trust said the huge figure related to the age of its buildings and the cost of the continual upkeep of Wycombe Hospital’s tower, which is in a ‘poor condition’.

At that time, the trust stated: “The Wycombe Hospital site has an unaffordable backlog of maintenance requirements, around one hundred million pounds worth, £80 million of which is related to the tower.”

Repairs were made to the damaged concrete wall panels of the 1960s tower last year, with gutters and rainwater channels fitted in April 2024.