A SEASIDE hospital could be given a fresh look and see its urgent treatment centre updated in order to make it "fit for the future" after new plans were submitted to planning bosses.
The East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) has sent in plans for works at Clacton Hospital, in Tower Road, to Tendring Council.
The trust wants to put up a two-storey building and rooftop plant room to provide better healthcare services, including an updated urgent treatment centre.
Alterations to the Kate Grant building and Jubilee building have also been suggested, while new drop-off layby and ambulance parking spaces could be implemented.
Lawson Planning Partnership Ltd, which submitted the application on behalf of ESNEFT, said: “The trust is, and will be, undertaking significant investment at Clacton Hospital to provide increased, more efficient and more cost-effective healthcare services to improve the level of care and experience for the existing and future catchment population of Clacton and the surrounding areas.
“The development proposals are principally concerned with providing qualitative improvements to Clacton Hospital to improve the health and care facilities that are available to people in the Tendring area.
“The existing UTC operates from a sub-optimal building which is no longer fit for purpose and this investment provides a modern clinical environment fit for the future.
“In addition, the internal refurbishment of the Kate Grant and Jubilee buildings will provide improvements to general healthcare services and enable the effective co-location of key services.
“Once implemented, the new healthcare facilities including UTC will significantly improve the experience for patients accessing urgent treatment and healthcare services, enable the community to be seen more quickly and closer to their homes, with improved physical access and clinical environments.”
The new treatment centre will operate under the same opening hours as the existing one, between 8am and 8pm.
All existing services within the wards will be relocated to other areas within the hospital site which are currently vacant.
These include the lower leg unit, the assessment area for the minor injuries unit, the infusion lounge and the maternity services.
Planning bosses at Tendring Council will have the final say.
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