Ipswich Hospital to close three entrances as £23m project set to start

Building work that will close three Ipswich Hospital entrances is set to start in mid-November. 

A new south main entrance and retail area - as well as a new emergency department and urgent treatment centre - is being built at the hospital to improve services for patients at a cost of £23m. 

From November 15, entrances three, four and five will be closed to ensure the work can be carried out safely. 

As a result, the entrance for trauma, orthopaedics and fracture clinic patients will be entrance two, near the south wards, while rheumatology, physiotherapy and hand therapy areas should be accessed by entrance six, central outpatients. 

Access to the vehicle area outside entrances three, four and five will also be blocked. 

Paul Fenton, director of Estates and Facilities at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich Hospital, said: "With so much building work going on at our already busy site there needs to be some changes and diversions to how people access the hospital.  

"We apologise for any inconvenience. Please bear with us - the disruption is only short-term and we will be hugely improving your hospital as a result. 

"By making sure patients are seen by the right team first time, this exciting development will improve their experience of accessing care while reducing the amount of time they need to wait for treatment.  

"At the same time, it will help us to make sure our emergency department remains available to those in the greatest clinical need."