PROPOSALS for two multi-million pound developments at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital go on show tomorrow (Thursday, July 11).

The hospital wants to build an £80million surgical centre with state-of-the-art operating theatres, a critical care unit and an endoscopy suite.

The new centre will include state-of-the-art operating theatres, a critical care unit and an endoscopy suite.

And a separate £11.5 million development is also taking place to move the hospital’s surgical assessment unit closer to the hospital’s emergency department which will mean faster access to consultants and surgeons and quicker assessments for patients who may require emergency surgery.

The plans for these new facilities are nearing completion and a full planning application will shortly be submitted to Somerset West and Taunton Council.

The new surgical centre will improve patient experience as it will replace much of Musgrove’s ageing 1940s buildings where some of the most critically ill people in Somerset are cared for.

Instead, critical care services will be provided in a modern, high quality and adaptable building that’s able to meet the future needs of patients as medicine and healthcare make further advances.

The original hospital was built during the Second World War as a temporary casualty evacuation hospital for the D-Day landings, but has become increasingly difficult to maintain.

It is expected that the first patients will be cared for in the new surgical centre by early 2024.

A public engagement meeting takes place in the Musgrove academy lecture theatre tomorrow from 6pm 7pm.

If you have any questions about the new development, e-mail keri.raymond@tst.nhs.uk