Plans have been unveiled for a new five-storey critical care building at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester. The development comes in response to increasing demand for critical care services, which the current facilities are unable to accommodate.
The hospital’s Department of Critical Care, located in the Tower Block on Great Western Road, presently provides 19 critical care beds but no longer meets the clinical demand placed upon it. Projections suggest that demand for critical care could increase by approximately three per cent each year. To address this, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has submitted plans to Gloucester City Council for a new facility designed to include 24 critical care beds in open wards alongside 12 isolation rooms.
Supporting facilities planned for the new building include storage areas, clean and dirty utilities, and patient testing spaces. Additionally, the centre will incorporate essential staff amenities such as offices, rest and welfare areas designed to support shift work, along with waiting rooms, overnight accommodation for carers, and kitchen facilities.
The expansion will necessitate a staffing increase of around 20 per cent, comprising medical, nursing, and administrative personnel to ensure efficient operation of the new unit.
Urgent modernisation is also required for the existing Tower Block, as several critical mechanical and electrical systems no longer meet current standards and regulations. The planned modular nature of the new building will allow these upgrades to proceed without needing to close the existing Department of Critical Care, as patients and staff can be temporarily relocated to the new facility during the works.
“No other suitable facility is currently available to the trust,” the planning documents state. The hospital is already undertaking separate improvements in the Tower Block, including upgrades to fire alarm infrastructure, nurse call systems, and multiple wards.
This comprehensive upgrade programme is expected to span four years, with each ward, including the Department of Critical Care, requiring a six-month closure period for refurbishment. The necessity for the new critical care unit to be operational before these works commence has influenced the decision to adopt a modular building approach, ensuring faster delivery.
The new building will accommodate patients from the existing Department of Critical Care in the Tower Block, as well as from other hospital areas such as the emergency department, resuscitation unit, obstetrics, theatres, respiratory high dependency unit, and paediatrics.
Gloucester City Council is anticipated to review and decide on the planning application by 3 November 2026.