ONE YEAR into the construction of the new 513-bed, £227m PFI hospital in Pembury and the work continues apace.

To mark the first year of building, the Kent and Sussex Courier, Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark and representatives from Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust took a tour of the 65,000sqm site to see how work has progressed.

The party followed a covered walkway running parallel with the service road at the southern side of the site which allowed an up-close look at the four wings, or fingers, to the main hospital building.

The structural concrete frames of all four wings are now complete, the roof is on, 200 windows have been installed and brickwork and blockwork on the wings is progressing.

Already 43,000m cubed of concrete and 3,439 tonnes of reinforced steel have been laid.

Excavation for the new multi-storey car park at the front western side is complete and the foundations are being constructed.

The new roundabout and entrance to the existing hospital is in place and an upgrade to Tonbridge Road, including a traffic light junction, is operational.

Developer Laing O'Rourke's project leader Jonathan Abbott said almost 60 per cent of the external work was complete and internal work, including plumbing and mechanical electrical services, was under way.

He added the development was one of the biggest under way in England and was at the "forefront of technology". The hospital was computer-designed as a three-dimensional model and, to promote safety and efficiency, many of the buildings components were assembled off-site and then slotted together – much like a jigsaw.

At peak operation level, the site will have up to 1,000 construction workers and Mr Abott stressed each and every one was crucial to the build.

He said: "There has been a positive collaboration and teamwork right down to the brick layer or the driver. They are all crucial to our success."

The tour ended on a viewing deck overlooking the existing Pembury Hospital on the northern side and the construction site, which looked colossal in comparison.

Laing O'Rourke's business unit leader Mark Richardson presented trust chief executive Glenn Douglas with two framed photographs showing the hospital site before construction started in March last year and as it is now.

Mr Richardson said the project was running ahead of schedule and within the original budget.

He added: "In a couple of years' time it will be complete and fully operational."

Mr Douglas said: "There are still a few residents that don't think the new hospital is going to happen but they have to be fairly blind not to see the progress."

The new seven-storey hospital, which will cover the equivalent of 13 football pitches, will provide all in-patient accommodation in single en-suite bedrooms.

It will provide a range of services including an emergency centre, orthopaedics, a dedicated women's and children's centre, day case theatres and outpatient services.

There will be 1,200 parking bays and a helipad.

Designed by Anshen and Allen, an international architectural company specialising in designing healthcare buildings, the plan incorporates the concept of "hospitals within a hospital".

This means the design is geared around patient safety and effective infection control, including separate planned and emergency areas to reduce the risk of infection, the separation of inpatient and outpatient facilities and single rooms throughout.

The journeys of emergency and planned patients and of visitors will also be segregated, as will the movement of goods and waste.

Safety features never considered before in this country aim to prevent falls and other accidents. The facilities are also aimed at addre- ssing issues of patient privacy and dignity.

It has been designed to blend into the surrounding woodland setting, with patient accommodation placed to take the best advantage of woodland views.

Mr Douglas added: "When it is ready in two years' time, Pembury Hospital will raise the bar and set a new standard in modern hospital care.

"People in this area have waited a long time for this and it is great to see the amazing progress that has been made. It seems to be leaping out of the ground.

"Soon more than half a million people in our area will be able to call on two of the very best hospitals anywhere in the county."

Mr Clark said local people, doctors and nurses had been waiting for a state-of-the-art hospital for years.

He added: "Many people thought it would never be built, but seeing the building rising from the ground at such a tremendous rate is concrete proof that the dream is finally becoming a reality.

"I am delighted that Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and Laing O'Rourke have made such good progress and I cannot wait until the new hospital finally opens."