COLCHESTER General Hospital is to undergo a £35 million overhaul centred on its accident and emergency department, the Gazette can reveal today.

Cash has been awarded to the trust running the hospital from the Department for Health.

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It will see the busy yet relatively small department completely redesigned.

The cash will also be pumped into improving operating theatres and urgent care facilities.

The windfall is part of a £65 million package in north Essex with £15 million set for Clacton Hospital and £3 million for the Fryatt Hospital in Dovercourt.

Gazette: Lots of ambulances at Colchester General Hospital..

Clacton Hospital and Harwich's Fryatt Hospital will also have a primary care centre.

Further details were due to emerge today.

Nick Hulme, chief executive of Colchester General Hospital, said: “The journey for improvement at Colchester continues, reflected in the investment from the Government. This is a really good news story.”

Colchester’s Conservative MP Will Quince said: “It is the biggest investment in our hospital for decades.

“Our population is growing and set to grow further with the new garden settlements so it is important we have an A&E that is fit for purpose and in a modern setting and allows staff to give people that world class care.

“It is a massive vote of confidence in our hospital. It had four years in special measures and was rated one of the worst in the country.

“It has now come out of special measures, we have a new cancer centre being built there and ambulance waiting times have dramatically improved.”

At the moment Colchester’s A&E is considered too small and cramped.

Mr Hulme took over at Colchester two years ago and runs Ipswich’s hospital trust too.

Mr Quince added: “The hospital has been on a journey and it has really turned a corner.

“I cannot praise Nick and his team enough, it is really heading in the right direction.”

Another £35 million has been awarded to Ipswich’s hospital trust to spend on equipment including a new CT scanner, diagnostic scanner and on urgent care.

Colchester and Ipswich hospitals are set to merge to become part of one trust in July.

Directors look set to approve the business case for the merger tomorrow.

If agreed, the case will be sent to national NHS teams with a final decision being made by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Mr Quince said he “cautiously welcomed” the merger bur admitted he still had some concerns including patients’ transport if needed to Ipswich.

He added: “It will protect the viability of both sites and attract more staff. It is all about building expertise and capability. It is going to be a positive thing.”

Bosses have said each hospital will keep their A&E departments as well as obstetric-led maternity units.

Last year Mr Hunt awarded Colchester’s A&E £1 million and £2.8 million to ease winter pressures.

The development of a new primary care centre in Clacton will include an urgent care service, outpatients’ facility and three new GP practices.

Gazette:

  • Clacton Hospital is set for a new primary care centre

Clacton MP Giles Watling welcomed the announcement, which he said would minimise the need for multiple hospital attendances and movements across hospital sites.

He said: “I am grateful to the Health Secretary for announcing this investment, which will bring real benefit to local residents by improving the patient experience.

“I recognise that residents have concerns about our local health services, and I will continue to follow up with officials at the Department of Health and Social Care, local NHS leaders and representatives of Anglian Community Enterprise to ensure that residents in Clacton can depend on the best health services.

Gazette:

  • Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Clacton MP Giles Watling discussed the funding at the House of Commons yesterday

Mr Watling added: “This is such superb news. I have been fighting to retain our local hospital services as the local MP, and also as a councillor.

"I am proud to have worked with so many of our local representatives to achieve this stunning result.”