A new £28 million expansion will turn Royal Oldham Hospital into a ‘surgical hub’

A multi-million pound expansion project set to chance the face of The Royal Oldham Hospital has been given the green light.

It has finally been confirmed today that The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group has received business case approval which will allow them to demolish existing facilities and deliver a £28 million four-storey extension to the main hospital site building in its place.

Approval of the plans means the demolition of existing facilities will make way for two new 24-bed general surgery wards.

The two new surgery wards will also be joined by the creation of a new emergency theatre within the current theatres unit, which will allow the hospital to operate as “a surgical hub” site for high risk and emergency general and colorectal surgery for the north east of Greater Manchester.

The sickest patients from across the region will therefore have access to treatment in a new facility.

Speaking on the plans having been given the green light, David Jago – Chief Officer at The Royal Oldham Hospital – said: “The new surgical hub will provide much needed expertise to the people of the north east of Greater Manchester.

“It will [also] enable other developments at The Royal Oldham, which will advance our ambitions to provide care and employment to the people of Oldham and beyond.”

The new expansion project – which has been made possible following full business case approval for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership’s Healthier Together scheme – comes after the current hospital building was recently deemed “not fit for purpose for the 21st century” by Chief Operating Officer at the Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group, Mike Barber.

Planning permission for the extension has already been granted, with a design that went through a public consultation in November 2019.

Works are expected to start within the next few months.

Raj Jain – Chief Executive at Northern Care Alliance – added: “It is great to see The Royal Oldham Hospital receiving this well-deserved investment to improve the hospital’s infrastructure, and I would like to thank all of those staff who have been involved in the plans and the design so far as part of the planning process.

“I am really looking forward to seeing the development take shape and witnessing the difference it will make to patients, staff and the public in the surrounding area.”

The new building is set to be completed, open and ready for new patients by Spring 2023.