NEWTON Abbot's new hospital is 'all systems go' according to Teignbridge Primary Care Trust chief executive Pam Smith. In a presentation to Newton Abbot Town Council on Wednesday, she said that the money was in the bank and everything was proceeding smoothly towards an opening date of summer 2008. She said that the trust and the successful bidder, Ryhurst, was working with user groups and staff on the finer points of lay-out which she hoped would be completed in December, ready for a January start. In answer to fears from Cllr Ken Smith that Newton Abbot might end up with a hospital it could not afford to run, she defended the trust's financial record. 'We have done a lot of the changes of working in the current hospital so that while we will have some extra costs, we will get some economies of scale moving into the new building. The money is in the bank in that we had to create the surplus this year.' Cllr David Howe voiced planning committee concerns about the external finishes – a mixture of wooden and zinc cladding. Mrs Smith said that while people had individual preferences, public feedback favoured a modern appearance. She assured Cllr Howe that work was going on to ensure that the finishes would continue to look good and would not suffer, for instance from staining. In view of the possible growth of the town, the hospital has been designed to allow for a 30 per cent expansion. Cllr Ken Lewis, who had been on the tendering panel, praised the successful bidder for the thought given to the lay-out, particularly in the wards, where each patient would have their own window.
