A Chester MP has visited the Countess of Chester Hospital for a tour of the new £110m Women and Children’s Building which is due to open this summer.
Aphra Brandreth, who represents Chester South & Eddisbury met with the hospital’s chief executive Jane Tomkinson and chair Ian Haythornthwaite during her visit.
She praised their leadership, as well as the work of hospital staff dealing with increased demand in the winter months.
“It was an absolute privilege to tour the new Women and Children’s Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital and see firsthand the incredible work being done to enhance healthcare services for our community,” she said.
“I know how vital this hospital is to many of my constituents, and I am committed to ensuring that access to high-quality local healthcare remains one of my top priorities.”
Hospital bosses said the new Women and Children’s Building would offer improved facilities for its maternity, neonatal, paediatric and gynaecology services.
The building will provide greater capacity, modern amenities and spaces designed around patients, families and staff.
Once completed, the new development will replace the current Women and Children’s Building, which has been in use since 1971.
The building’s main construction has almost been completed, bosses said, with plans for the external groundworks now starting to take shape.
Internally there are a few rooms already completed and the staircase in the main atrium is currently being installed.
CEO Jane Tomkinson said: “The start of 2025 marks the final countdown to moving into the new building this coming summer, making this recent visit from Aphra Brandreth a good time to show how far construction has already come and to set out our ideas for how care will look once we are in this modern building.
“We are really keen for the community to be involved in every step of the build because this is for them, it’s their future.
“We want to be a leading provider of outstanding maternity care and deliver high standards of quality and excellence as we journey towards transforming care for the local community, and this new building is a huge part of that vision.”
