Whitby Hospital redevelopment begins as Covid-19 pandemic causes delays and changes to plan

Contractors started on the site this year after funding was confirmed last September.

The project aims to deliver significant benefits to patient care by creating a more modern and sustainable hospital facility for the people of Whitby and the surrounding area. Work started on site in March on the old maternity unit. Some areas of the hospital were prepared to move the ward and other services into, while the main tower block refurbishment was under way. This had been completed and work was then paused due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The hospital is run by Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.

This month, North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which is leading the project, and NHS Property Services gave the green light for the work to restart.

Services are being transferred to the front area of the hospital, with the ward being the final area to move next week (June 22, 2020). Staff will then operate in the Frankland ward as a 14-bedded unit until the work is completed. This will then free up the tower block/back of the hospital for the builders to start the main refurbishment work at the start of July.

Due to the pandemic, there have been changes to the programme which include leaving the existing Memorial ward and recently refurbished Abbey ward in place for as long as possible should there be a need for the hospital to support any increased demand later in the year. This arrangement can only remain in place until autumn to ensure the redevelopment programme can continue as planned.