In 2011, the Frenchay Project Board recommended to the NHS that the site of the current Frenchay Hospital should be developed into a vibrant health and social care centre, including a community hospital,  which would provide health services to adults so that they can remain in their own home, prevent patients being admitted to an acute hospital inappropriately and help patients regain their independence after a stay in hospital.

It is proposed that the community hospital will offer:

• 68 community rehabilitation beds
  outpatient appointments for pain management, care of the elderly, respiratory medicine, gastroenterology, rheumatology, neurology and urology
  diagnostic tests for bloods, x-ray, ultrasound and echocardiogram
  therapy services such as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, dietetics and general and specialist physiotherapy.

The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU) will remain on the site and the NHS will discuss with other services such as Headway, Avon and Area Stroke Services, the League of Friends and the WRVS opportunities for them to enhance the rehabilitation provision on the site. In addition, the intention is that NHS services such as the Head Injury Treatment Centre and the Multiple Sclerosis Centre (BraMS) should remain on the site.

Extra Care Housing and a registered care home are to be developed at Frenchay to provide further facilities to support patients. 

Frenchay Hospital masterplan  

In 2014 the majority of existing healthcare services will be transferred from Frenchay to the new hospital at Southmead and, in terms of children’s inpatient services, the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) will retain some of the existing buildings for healthcare provision and develop a new community health and social care facility at Frenchay but the vast majority of the site will become vacant.

It has always been the NBT's intention that they will sell this surplus land - the money from which will be ploughed back into the NHS to provide healthcare for local people.

In preparation for disposal of the land, we have started to develop a masterplan which will inform an outline planning application to South Gloucestershire Council for future potential different uses across the site in line with the Council’s emerging Core Strategy.

NBT have been working with local people and South Gloucestershire Council so they can voice their views on the existing site and have begun to draw together initial ideas on what they would like us to consider as part of any future redevelopment.

The site has already been identified in the Council’s emerging Core Strategy for possible new residential development.

Part of the site falls within the Frenchay Conservation Area and the masterplan proposals will take account of this and opportunities to enhance the character and appearance of the Conservation Area will be considered.

 A range of ideas have been put forward including by local people, including the possible provision of new primary school for the proposed development and wider Frenchay village, the need for a village centre/community hub  and more integration with the old village.

The masterplan for the site was drawn up after councillors, representatives from the local school and the parish council attended an event to share their views. Staff and local residents were given the chance to take a look at it yesterday.

Their views will now be considered as a more detailed blueprint for the site is drawn up.

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), which currently runs the hospital, will then consult further on the plans before submitting an outline planning application to South Gloucestershire Council in the summer.

Following, this first consultation event, NBT will submit a draft concept statement to the South Gloucestershire Council for consideration.   

This will inform the ongoing preparation of an outline planning application for the comprehensive redevelopment of the land.  A further public exhibition is planned in the coming months to show how NBT have responded to the comments raised.

 An outline planning application will be submitted to the Council in the summer 2012.