Health Board reveal plan to redevelop Maelor with ‘gleaming new hospital’

Rob Smith, the Area Director at ‎Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, told councillors at the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee this morning there were ‘very very early’ plans to totally redevelop Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

In a section of the meeting around giving an update on a Welsh Government Infrastructure Investment Plan the detail emerged, with Mr Smith saying there was a ‘pressing need for capital investment’ locally however a proposal submitted to Welsh Government had not seen any cash forthcoming in the first tranche.

Mr Smith went on to tell councillors that the Health Board was ‘at an early development stage’ over the redevelopment of the Maelor Hospital. The plans are currently at the stage of ‘intensively’ engaging with those who could be working at a new hospital to ensure the facility will be built with them in mind.

There are no figures yet to the cost of the development, only described as ‘hundreds of millions’ of pounds.

The idea has ‘positive support’ inside the Health Board itself, however has not reached wider formal proposals so it is unknown if the plan has political support to enable the funding.

Clr I David Bithell enquired if any investment plan would mean more nurses as well as doctors. In response he was told the plans were mainly capital costs, however the business case would include staffing, with Mr Smith explaining the issues around recruitment, adding a ‘gleaming new hospital can only help’ that.

Cllr John Pritchard asked if there would be a new build on a different site, or on the existing hospital site, and if so would services be affected.

Mr Smith told the meeting ‘it would be part of the existing site’, noting the footprint is ‘quite large’. The ‘challenges’ of a development have been recognised that would need prevent any disruption, again stressing the plan was in ‘very very early days’.

Cllr Joan Lowe enquired how any new hospital plan would fit in with current GP practices in Wrexham and how the locality working plans would fit in.

Mr Smith responded noting that GP’s in Wrexham are independently run with their own premises, and with a new facility there would be ‘encouragement’ to move to a new building in the Maelor, saying plans would be ‘more viable if investment includes primary care as well’.

Cllr Gwenfair Jones asked if it meant a ‘super surgery’ in any new Maelor, and was told “Yes”.

Cllr Bithell wanted to know a timeframe for the plans, asking if it was five or even ten years away.

Mr Smith told the meeting it ‘depends when the clock starts ticking from’, with the implication that if plan are approved very quickly it could be around five years time.

The Maelor was originally founded in 1826 – there is more on the history of Wrexham’s hospitals here.