THE NEW community hospital in The Forest of Dean is set to have a phased opening of services from the week commencing Monday, May 13. 

Staff are due to be moved to the hospital, phased over a period of four weeks. The plans are to start with inpatients and dentistry, and complete with the Minor Injuries and Illness Unit, and the Complex Leg Wound Service.

The new hospital, based Steam Mills Road, Cinderford, is expected to be open seven days a week between 8am and 8pm, with free parking on site. It will eventually replace the Lydney Community Hospital and Dilke Memorial Hospital.

The new hospital will include a 24-bed inpatient ward, Minor Injuries and Illness Unit (MIIU), x-ray and ultrasound, adult and children’s outpatient departments, midwifery team and a specialist dental service.

Currently, the MIIU operates in Grove Road, Lydney, and will continue until the x-ray unit has been installed and tested at the new premises, with radiologists trained on the equipment.

The Lydney premises is expected to close on Thursday, May 16, and the new site is expected to open on Friday, May 17.

Douglas Blair, Chief Executive at the NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re nearly there! Moving services into a wonderful new hospital is an exciting time and I know colleagues now just want to be in there and working.

“We’re helping colleagues familiarise themselves with the new building at the moment, and I’m aware that moving services will be hard work and take some time to get used to.

“I hope the public will be considerate with our staff while we work through this process. There will be some disruption, but we’ll keep that to a minimum, and hope everyone appreciates the new hospital when it starts helping the Forest of Dean community.”

Forest residents have started receiving letters from the Trust explaining there is a phased opening, and which services will be available at the new hospital. This includes treatments for sprains, minor fractures, wounds and burns. 

If you need minor injury services and require clarification of where to go, you can call the triage line on 0300 421 7777.