Delays expected as NHS Hellesdon Hospital revamp takes shape

The Rivers Centre, a new wards project at Hellesdon Hospital costing almost £50m, has reached a key landmark this month.

Steel frames which will make up the shell of the new building have now been delivered to the site and are being put in place.

Cath Byford of NSFT and Jonathan Payne of VINCI Buildings. Picture: NSFT (Image: NSFT)

However, it has also been revealed that bosses at the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust are already expecting delays in opening the new facility to patients.

It had originally been expected that the project, which will see three new wards built and two refurbished, would be completed in the summer of 2024.

However, bosses now say it will not be until the autumn that the Rivers Centre will treat its first patients.

Staff and partners of NSFT at the Rivers Centre site. Picture: NSFT (Image: NSFT)

Cath Byford, deputy chief executive of NSFT, said: "It is great to see our plans coming to life on this much-needed development for our trust and those we provide care for.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this project, staff, those who use our services and our project partners.

"The continuing hard work, passion and dedication from all involved really is starting to show as we begin this exciting next phase of building work."

It is not the first time a building project at the site has faced delays.

In March 2021, the Rollesby ward on the site was shut after suffering damage, sparking a renovation project.

However, hold-ups centre around changing the ward to a single-sex, female-only unit and recruiting staff meant it was two years before it finally re-opened.

The Rivers Centre project is planned to increase the mental health trust's bed capacity - reducing the need to send patients out of the area for specialist care.