A new winter ward with 28 additional beds is being built at Watford General as hospital chiefs implement a £2.24 million plan to meet the seasonal surge in demand.

But West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s own figures show current demand outstrips capacity by 69 beds throughout its three sites in Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead.

The new ward will be built in the Shrodells Building on level one of Watford General Hospital and the trust is racing to have it ready by January 11.

Lynn Hill, deputy chief executive for the trust, told the board meeting last month: "In order to be in a position to provide surge capacity over the winter to ensure 95 per cent of our patients are not waiting for more than four hours following a decision to admit them into hospital, the trust is required to commission a new ward with a proposed minimum of 28 additional beds."

Also shortlisted as a location for the new winter ward was Moniyhan, level 3 at St Albans City Hospital.
However, that location was passed over because space for only 20 beds could be found.

The trust looked at another area in St Albans City Hospital which could have supported a new 48-bed ward, but it calculated such a ward would take 30 weeks to build.

The £1 million building costs for the new winter surge ward at Watford General is included in the trust’s capital programme for 2014/15 - but it still has to lease the building from owner Hertfordshire Partnership University Foundation Trust.

Ms Hill said the new ward will cost £1.6 million once staffing is taken into account. 

She added: "As part of our plans to prepare for what is expected to be a busy winter, we are opening an extra 28 bedded ward at Watford Hospital. 

"The ward costs £1,615,612, which is made up of £1,067,185 from our capital fund and £548,427 from revenue.  

"The revenue includes the cost of staffing the ward between January and March 2015 and comes from our new winter funding allocation."

However, the report presented to the board said the surge ward will likely be staffed by agency workers, at a 54 per cent premium.

As such, the trust calculated income costs for the new ward could amount to £735,006 in its first three months, rather than £548,427.