Arrowe Park Hospital: Bulldozers move in for A&E revamp

Construction work on the new facility is due to start in the autumn

Demolition work has started as part of a £28m upgrade of Wirral's main hospital designed to "transform" urgent care in the area.

Bulldozing Arrowe Park Hospital is expected to take about five weeks, Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust (WUTH) said.

It is part of the first phase of the Urgent and Emergency Care Upgrade Programme at the hospital.

The trust said patient services would not be affected by the work.

Arrowe Park's former Urgent Treatment Centre is being demolished as part of the redevelopment of accident and emergency services.

Construction work is set to start in September and the new facility is scheduled to open in March 2024.

Once completed, the upgrade will include a dedicated ambulance entrance, a larger ambulance set down area and a single-entry point for patients.

The former Urgent Treatment Centre is being demolished as part of the redevelopment of A&E services

Staff in the department will have a dedicated entrance "leading directly to the new welfare areas, refurbished training facilities, and open layouts to encourage collaborative teamwork."

Janelle Holmes, chief executive of WUTH, said the planned demolition was "an exciting step" towards delivering the new emergency facility.

"It is great to see this project developing, allowing us to transform emergency care for the people of the Wirral," he added.