Princess Anne to officially open new Gloucestershire hospital
The Princess Royal - who lives at Gatcombe Park - will travel to Cinderford
Princess Anne will travel across Gloucestershire from her home at Gatcombe Park today to officially open the new Forest of Dean Community Hospital.
Services were transitioned gradually from the 47-bed Dilke Memorial Hospital and Lydney and District Hospital, with all services up and running by the end of May.
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust say this marks a significant milestone in modernising healthcare for the Forest with a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services now being provided from the purpose-built facility which meets the latest clinical quality and safety standards.
As well as improved facilities, the 24-bed community hospital is far more sustainable than the former hospitals, they say.
It showcases various features that make it a model of sustainability and environmental best practice, according to hospital bosses.
This includes improved energy efficiency – the hospital will be a net contributor of electricity to the national grid, so its carbon footprint will decline over time, which
could lead it to achieve net zero in the future.
There has also been extensive consideration for the surrounding wildlife, such as dormice and bats, to ensure the hospital does not encroach onto their existing habitats, hospital chiefs say.
As an example, prior to construction the team was on site overnight to carry out light level surveys to understand how the design would impact on the bats’ flight path and are now installing dimmable night-time lighting at the hospital entrance.
Additionally, the hospital incorporates bat and bird boxes throughout the site, while also committing to planting of significantly more plants and trees than were previously in situ, which will ultimately enhance its biodiversity by over 10 per cent.