Taunton surgical centre gets the green light

A major new £79.5M surgical centre designed by architects BDP has been given the go-ahead by the Government.

BDP was appointed by Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to design a new surgical and critical care unit and endoscopy suite at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

The new centre will include: six endoscopy rooms, patient recovery and clinical support areas; eight operating theatres, including two interventional radiology theatres, recovery areas and clinical support; and 22 critical care beds.

“We are designing a hospital complex of buildings that can expand and respond to future needs,” said BDP’s healthcare architect director, Nick Fairham.

“Musgrove Park was originally built in the 1940s with corridors so wide you could drive a jeep down them. Now we design hospitals where wards and care units are well connected so there is no need for automated transport to get from the operating theatre to the wards.

“It is excellent news that this major project has been given the green light as it is of huge significance to the local community. The Jubilee Building, which we also designed, was very well received, and the same thinking will be applied to create a patient-centred, intelligent Surgical Unit for Taunton.”