New hospital set to get go-ahead

Papworth Hospital aims to move from its Papworth Everard site

A £204m scheme to move a world famous Cambridgeshire heart and lung transplant hospital to a new site is set to be given the go-ahead.

A new Papworth Hospital is planned for a site next to Addenbrooke's Hospital and details are to go before the East of England Strategic Health Authority.

At present the hospital is based at Papworth Everard.

The hospital scheme, if approved by the health authority on Thursday and backed by the government, could open in 2013.

The scheme is to be funded through a private finance initiative.

A report on the plans says the new building will be sited within the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which also includes Addenbrooke's treatment centre and Addenbrooke's Hospital.

This will help us all get into the premier league of research Stephen Bridge, chief executive of Papworth Hospital

This will allow the new hospital to provide improved quality of care, research and access to other services, the report said.

If supported by the SHA board, an outline business case for the project is due to be submitted to the Department of Health for approval.

Stephen Bridge, chief executive of Papworth Hospital, told BBC News that if the plans are approved the hospital will seek to advertise for a private partner.

'Healthy interest'

He said bringing Addenbrooke's and Papworth together on the same site will be a huge help to patients.

"Increasingly heart and lung patients have complications which will be helped by back-up from specialists at Addenbrooke's such as in kidney and brain disease," he said.

"We are also a hospital with a healthy interest in research, like Addenbrooke's, and we want to join forces with the University of Cambridge.

"This will help us all get into the premier league of research."

Papworth Hospital provides services to a core catchment population of about three million in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Mid and North Bedfordshire and surrounding areas.