Chaos fear at hospital

A main entrance into Walsall Manor Hospital will be shut from next week until 2010 in a move set to cause further headaches for patients, staff and visitors, the Express & Star can reveal today.

The hospital site, in the throes of a £170million makeover, will be split in two from Wednesday when the Pleck Road access is shut. Hospital bosses today apologised in advance for the disruption.

Until the new entrance opens in three years, motorists will be diverted to Moat Road. Sarah Smith, Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust director of development, said: "The site will effectively be split in two by the construction compound.

"We apologise for any inconvenience to our patients and visitors but hope they will bear with us during this crucial phase of work which will give the town a hospital for the 21st Century and beyond."

Visitor parking will be on the Belle Vue car park at the rear of the site but bosses say the number of spaces will not be affected by the changes.

Drop-off and disabled access to the east wing will be via an access road that runs behind the maternity block.

Additional patient spaces are being made available on the opposite side of Pleck Road for visitors to the sexual health and diabetes clinics. Emergency access to the A&E department will continue from Moat Road.

For one month only, drop-off access for the south wing will continue from Ida Road.

Full details of the site changes will be revealed next week.

The £170million facelift will include a diagnostic and treatment centre built to replace outdated outpatient and day surgery facilities, and a dedicated centre for services for women, children and young people.

A temporary modular building, costing £6million, is due to take its first patients on Monday.

Recently, bus passengers travelling to the hospital were dealt a blow when the route of the 999 Travel West Midlands service was changed because of the rebuild. The service no longer calls inside the site.