Whiston Hospital expansion comes forward
St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust has applied to build a 37,000 sq ft extension amid plans to relocate its decontamination facility and endoscopy department.
Designed by Halliday Meecham Architects, the four-storey building would be located at the centre of the Whiston Hospital campus.
The ground floor of the extension would house the hospital’s decontamination suite, currently located on the top floor of the complex’s main building.
The existing suite, used to clean scopes, is no longer big enough and cannot be expanded. Once the new facility is ready, the existing space will be repurposed.
A new endoscopy department is planned for the first floor of the new block.
Like the decontamination suite, the existing endoscopy department is too small and needs to be relocated.
The top two floors will provide office accommodation that meets the changing requirements of hospital staff.
Where possible since the pandemic, the NHS has adopted a hybrid model of working that has seen many previously in-person consultations take place online or over the phone.
As a result, modern NHS offices need “smaller acoustically separated booths and meeting rooms”, according to a design and access statement prepared by Halliday Meecham Architects.
Paul Butler Associates is advising the hospital on planning matters.
To learn more, search for application reference number 22/00669/FUL on Knowsley Council’s planning portal.