A groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of work on a new Day Case Surgery and Imaging Centre has been held at Harrogate District Hospital.

The healthcare facility, which is being built by UK construction company Morgan Sindall, will provide additional capacity to meet the needs of patients waiting for surgery.

The ceremony, which took place on Friday (February 14) and was led by Jonathan Coulter, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Executive, saw the first spades hitting the ground on the 18 month project.

The construction of the Day Case Surgery and Imaging Centre, which will be located on the site of the hospital’s old Therapy Services building, is being undertaken as part of a £50 million capital investment funded by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and NHS England, which has also seen the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) at the Harrogate District Hospital site.

Pictured (left-right): Jo Parker (Associate Director of Capital Planning at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), James Layton (Senior Quantity Surveyor at Morgan Sindall Construction), Sarah Armstrong (Chair of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), Mark Chamberlain (Chair of Harrogate Integrated Facilities), Jonathan Coulter (Chief Executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), Matt Graham (Director of Strategy at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), Ben Hall (Area Director Yorkshire at Morgan Sindall Construction), Dr Nigel Wells (Executive Director of Clinical and Professional at Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board) and Steven Fry (Project Manager at Morgan Sindall Construction)

placeholder image — Pictured (left-right): Jo Parker (Associate Director of Capital Planning at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), James Layton (Senior Quantity Surveyor at Morgan Sindall Construction), Sarah Armstrong (Chair of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), Mark Chamberlain (Chair of Harrogate Integrated Facilities), Jonathan Coulter (Chief Executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), Matt Graham (Director of Strategy at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust), Ben Hall (Area Director Yorkshire at Morgan Sindall Construction), Dr Nigel Wells (Executive Director of Clinical and Professional at Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board) and Steven Fry (Project Manager at Morgan Sindall Construction)

The new two storey building will provide state-of-the-art surgical and imaging services.

It will house two new operating theatres, two procedure rooms, a dedicated day case ward, and an advanced imaging department.

The imaging facilities will feature two MRI scanners, two CT scanners, three x-ray rooms, seven ultrasound scanners, bone density (Dexa) scanning, and fluoroscopy, which provides real-time imaging of tissue and organs.

Jonathan Coulter, Chief Executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is an exciting moment for our Trust and the people of our district as we break ground to officially start construction of our new Day Case Surgery and Imaging Centre.

“Once completed, the centre will serve our community for years to come.

"The new facilities will provide a much improved environment for patients and our staff, and will increase our elective capacity.

“We understand that people requiring treatment want to be seen as quickly as possible and being able to undertake more activity will bring down waiting times.

“We look forward to working with Morgan Sindall on this exciting project.

“This investment illustrates our hospital’s bright future and reflects our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of patients, children and communities and delivering the best possible care.”

Ben Hall, Morgan Sindall’s Area Director for Yorkshire, added: “Investment into crucial infrastructure such as this provides invaluable resource to the local community.

"This groundbreaking event was a great way to mark the important work that is beginning, and we are excited to use our expertise to make healthcare more accessible in the wider Harrogate area.”

Regular updates will be provided to keep residents and visitors informed about the project’s progress.