Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about the redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
For full details of the redevelopment scheme, visit the about page.
That was never an option. A lot of money has been invested in the hospital over the last twenty years. This includes the Millennium Wing, the Renal Centre and the £48 million Children’s Hospital, that opened in 2007. To move the hospital would require that all these facilities be re-built on the new site. That would be an indefensible waste of tax payers money. The scope of the redevelopment was always to improve the front half of the hospital site and replace the oldest buildings.
There will be a dedicated, patient and visitor underground car park below the two new buildings. The new buildings and the car park will be directly linked by lifts and stairs. The new car park will offer 390 car parking spaces.
Yes. From the spacious new main entrance on Eastern Road it will be possible to reach all the hospital’s buildings without having to go outside. There will be a simple route from the front to the back of the hospital. An entirely new system of signs will make it much easier to navigate the hospital’s new, simplified layout.
A&E will stay in its current location because it is ideally placed, halfway back on the east side of the hospital. It will have direct access to both the redevelopment’s new Stage 1 Building and the existing facilities on the back half of the hospital site. The redevelopment will free up much needed space in and around A&E.
No, all the funding is coming from the public, through the Treasury.
It is not possible to construct buildings of this size without significant foundations. That means a lot of excavation and piling work. The piles will be screwed into the ground rather than driven, which will reduce the level of noise and vibration. Dust control measures are used during all excavation and deconstruction works. There are noise, vibration and dust monitors around the site that run 24 hours a day. Disturbances will be managed so as to minimise any impact on patients, the public and staff. There is a clear understanding with our lead contractors, Laing O’Rourke, that patient care is the primary concern during the redevelopment.
The working hours are from 7am to 7pm each weekday and Saturday mornings between 7am and 1pm. Full construction activities will start at 8am and stop at 6pm (12 noon on Saturday). Work outside these hours will only happen by exception and with a specific, stated reason.