THE £172 million Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr – Gwent’s newest hospital – will receive its first patients in November.

And health watchdogs are hailing the development, which will serve patients across Caerphilly county borough, as a new era for healthcare that will bring “massive advantages”.

The area’s remaining hospitals, Caerphilly District Miners Hospital and Ystrad Mynach, will close as a result of the Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr opening its doors.

Two community hospitals – Oakdale and Aberbargoed – have already closed.

The two-year building project will be completed in late summer, with Aneurin Bevan Health Boardmoving in in September to prepare the hospital for patients and staff. Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr will include 269 beds, all in single rooms, and, among other other facilities:

  • A 24-hour local emergency centre with a GP out-of-hours base and a range of diagnostic equipment including an MRI body scanner;
  • Three operating theatres, one designed for orthopaedics;
  • An outpatient department with 21 consultation/examination rooms and three treatment rooms.

It will also boast car parking underneath the building so patients and visitors can park close to the wards and departments, and full CCTV coverage of the car parks and ground floor corridors.

Aneurin Bevan Community Health Council (CHC), the independent health watchdog, has been closely involved in the development of the hospital from the patients’ point of view.

Members have recently visited the new hospitals and Caerphilly District Miners and Ystard Mynach Hospitals, and while they have reported the latter two as still providing quality patient care, chief officer Cathy O’Sullivan said the visits highlighted the major differences and advantages the newhospital will have.

“There will inevitably be some sadness at the loss of the old hospitals,”

said Mrs O’Sullivan.

“But patients and staff will certainly notice the difference. We pay our respects to the past but need to go forward. Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr is truly a hospital for the 21st century.”