THE head of Warrington’s health commissioners says it is ‘time for a new hospital’ for the town.

Plans to replace the current Warrington Hospital with a new ‘state-of-the-art’ site have been mooted over the course of the past year.

Around £2m a year is currently spent on the upkeep of the current Lovely Lane site alone, with some of its buildings now more than 100 years old.

And Dr Andy Davies, clinical chief officer at NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group, has back the proposals.

He told the CCG’s annual general meeting at its headquarters in Birchwood on Wednesday, September 12, that Warrington ‘deserves better’ than its current hospital facility.

Dr Davies said: “I think it’s time for a new hospital.

“I trained at the current hospital site more than 15 years ago, and it had served its purpose at the time.

“It definitely does need to be refreshed.

“When you look at the estates that other hospitals are able to trade out of, Warrington deserves better.

“We do a monumental job of maintaining that place so that it remains fit for purpose, but it does cost a lot of money to do that.

“I think it’s up to about £2m a year spent on just keeping it open.

“There comes a point at which you’re better off just starting again and building something new.”

But it is likely to be at least a decade before a new Warrington Hospital opens its doors to patients, with plans for a replacement facility still at a very early stage.

But Dr Davies said that the process had ‘started in a good way’.

He added: “There is a partnership approach to this, and we will make sure that we are thinking about what we will need 10 or 15 years down the line.

“I think we need to start this conversation.

“The hospital isn’t about the building per se, it’s about the people and the service and the care on offer.

“But if the building that it’s in starts to hamper that or cost a significant amount of money to retain it in a fit state, then we’ve got to do something about it.

“That’s not going to be a quick fix - the average time for a project of this scale for a town of Warrington’s size is about 10 years from when you start the conversation.

“Don’t hold your breath until it’s done, but the process is starting in a good way.”