The £14m ward will provide 24 additional beds

A new inpatient ward is under construction at Salisbury District Hospital, helping to reduce waiting times for elective surgery.

Providing 24 additional beds, it will be an environmentally-sustainable building designed in conjunction with clinical teams.

Demolition of existing buildings will begin in March, with construction of the main building planned for May.

Staff have voted to name the new ward ‘Imber’ as a tribute to the village taken over by the military to train American troops ahead of the Liberation of Europe in 1943, the same year as the US Army Field Hospital opened in Odstock Road.

Once completed, the £14m ward will incorporate a mixture of four-bed bays and side rooms.

It is scheduled to open in late spring.

By providing extra bed capacity, Imber Ward will underpin the hospital’s elective recovery programme.

And the extra beds mean elderly care patients will be cared for in a dedicated space.

Stacey Hunter, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, said: “We are delighted with the progress being made in the construction of our new ward, and it’s great to have given it a name.

“Imber Ward will provide elderly care in a state-of-the-art modern environment, supporting the trust’s elective recovery programme.”

A ‘topping out’ ceremony was held recently to celebrate the completion of the concrete frame of the building.

It was attended by contractor, BAM’s regional director, Anthony Nagle; and the trust’s director of estates, Brian Johnson.