PATIENTS at Spire Harpenden Hospital will benefit from a new investment that will expand and enhance hospital facilities.

The £4.6 million investment will enable faster access to treat more patients.

Work will begin at the end of 2013 and is scheduled to open to patients in June 2014.

New developments in the hospital include a seven bed ward, a new theatre and a patient recovery area.

Following patient feedback, the hospital upgraded one of its existing four theatres with specialist key-hole surgery equipment and added 27 parking spaces to their car park.

The new theatre will be installed with laminar flow, which reduces the risk of infection, as well as specialist equipment for keyhole surgery.

Hospital director, Julia Salmon said: “We are really excited about this latest project, which reflects the hospital’s dedication to the local Hertfordshire area.

“91 per cent of our patients rate the standard of care at our hospital as excellent or very good, and we know that our patients expect high quality healthcare when they come to us.

“This investment will ensure we continue to provide this high standard of care as well as giving our patients a greater choice of consultants and faster access to appointments.”

Orthopaedic consultant and specialist in upper limb surgery, Tony Corner, added: “I enjoy practising from Spire Harpenden and this new development will enable me to provide additional surgery in a convenient and timely fashion for my patients.”

Disruption will be kept to a minimal and the hospital will operate as usual during the development.