WORK has now started on a new £22 million hospital which will serve Alcester and the surrounding district.

On Monday, November 10, labour began on the new Stratford-upon-Avon hospital which is being constructed separately to the existing building.

Representatives from the trust, architects, builders and fundraisers were on hand to celebrate the occasion.

The new hospital will house a cancer services unit with 12 chemotherapy treatment chairs, two emergency treatment rooms and a therapy room.

There will also be a designated waiting area for children, eight outpatient consulting rooms, three treatment rooms and a state of the art operating theatre.

During the work, services will be running as normal at the old hospital.

The new structure is approximately twice the size of the current one and will have appropriate car parking available.

Graham Murrell, chairman at South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This is a very exciting time for the trust. The start of the building work is a key milestone on the way to making our plans a reality. A new Stratford Hospital will mean that we are able to deliver more services locally for our patients. It will bring great benefits to the population of Stratford, as well as the surrounding areas."

An appeal to raise a further £1 million to help make the new hospital more comfortable for patients is now underway.

Denys C Shortt OBE, chairman of the fundraising appeal and chief executive of DCS Group, said: "The first spade in the ground represents the start of an incredible journey. We are now looking for £1 million to help make this hospital a centre of excellence. We have already had some fantastic support for the appeal and we are now keen to get more members of the community and businesses involved."

Construction company Speller Metcalfe is working on the project.

Steve Speller, joint managing director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “This is the third project we have completed for South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and it is clear that their aspirations are simple - to deliver the best services possible to the local and wider community.

“This ethos lies at the heart of our working practice at Speller Metcalfe, and we are proud to be delivering the first phase of such a momentous scheme that will have a significant and positive impact for users and their families across the region for years to come.”

The hospital is due for competition November 2016.

For more information visit stratfordhospital.co.uk.