New health village planned to meet growing demand

The director of a private city hospital said "turmoil" in the health system was sending more patients through its doors.

David Winters, director of strategy and operations at the Hamptons Hospital in Peterborough, said demand was higher than anticipated since it opened in 2023.

The hospital is planning to build a so-called health village for private and NHS patients, which it claims will be the first of its kind in the country.

The project is in its early stages, but will involve dentists, eye doctors, autism specialists and wellness services including hot and cold therapy.

Mr Winters said: "We're very keen on making sure we create services that everybody can access.

"We don't just want to create private services."

The hospital treats about 5,000 patients a year, mostly from Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.

It sits within the Hamptons developments in the city, a series of neighbourhoods that were first proposed in the 1990s and remain under construction.

Mr Winters said the hospital's proximity to new builds meant it could help to meet growing demand.

"The health system is in such turmoil at the moment, and that's prompting people to consider their treatment options and where they can go," he said.

The hospital has theatres and wards for day patients, with diagnostic equipment such as MRI and ultrasound machines, and specialist clinicians.

With the new health village, it hoped to offer dental care, optometry, an autism assessment unit and wellness services, such as hot and cold therapy.

An existing two-storey office building adjacent to the hospital would be refurbished, and a new building constructed on the existing hospital grounds.

Mr Winters said the plan was in its "concept stage" and health professionals would be consulted to gauge interest, before planning officers were involved later this year.

"We're having conversations to make sure we're not doing something in isolation," he said.

The government has spoken about bringing health services back into communities as part of its 10-year plan for the NHS.

A new community diagnostic centre was approved in Peterborough recently, which will be up and running by 2026.

Mr Winters said the new centre was a "really important thing" for the city, adding: "None of what we're trying to do is taking away from that."

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