Papworth Hospital building work set to start at Addenbrooke's site

The new 310-bed hospital is expected to open in 2018

Work is set to start on one of the UK's largest NHS specialist heart and lung hospitals in Cambridge after it was confirmed finances are now in place.

Papworth Hospital acquired seven acres (2.83 hectares) for its new base on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus near Addenbrooke's Hospital in December.

Work will begin shortly enabling it to move from Papworth Everard, 13 miles (20km) west of Cambridge, by 2018.

The hospital said its new base would "revolutionise cardiothoracic care".

The project will cost £165m, partly paid through a 30-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal, and partly through the public sector.

The 310-bed hospital will replace the current 276-bed facility, which in 1979 carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant.

Prof John Wallwork, chairman of Papworth Hospital and former consultant cardiac surgeon, said: "This move will allow Papworth to revolutionise cardiothoracic care and treatment in the UK whilst allowing the hospital to offer the best possible care and treatment to our patients and future generations."

The move is a result of a long-running campaign to replace the old hospital, parts of which are 150 years old