Preparation work to begin for new hospital unit

A planning application for the new day care unit will be drawn up in 2025

Work is set to start on a new £10.5m day care unit at a Leicestershire hospital.

Visitors to Hinckley and District Hospital will see preparation work for the new facility begin "in the coming weeks" said Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB).

Asbestos will be removed from an existing building ahead of its demolition

A new building will be created at the Mount Road site in its place to deliver a wider range of clinical specialities than currently available at the hospital.

This will include breast care, general surgery, gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, pain management, plastic surgery, podiatric surgery, renal access surgery, urology and vascular surgery.

Work to remove asbestos is expected to take place until March 2025, while a planning application for the government-funded scheme is drawn up by LLR ICB.

Chief strategy officer Sarah Prema said the facility would be "a modern, fit-for-purpose day case unit for the local population, allowing care to be delivered closer to home".

The new facility follows the creation of a community diagnostic centre at Hinckley hospital.

Bill Cullen, chief executive of planning authority Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, said: "We welcome the continued positive work with our NHS colleagues to ensure investment in new health facilities in Hinckley for the benefit of residents in the borough."