Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan in Ebbw Vale, which received £53.7m funding from the Welsh Assembly Government under its Designed for Life programme, will be the first major regeneration project to be completed on the former Corus steelworks site.

Having attended the topping-out ceremony earlier this year, Hart returned to the site this week to check on the progress of the 107-bed hospital, which is the first publicly-funded hospital to be built in England or Wales with 100% single en-suite rooms.

This week she also visited developers working on the new Cynon Valley Neighbourhood Healthcare Facility in Mountain Ash, which will replace outdated facilities in Mountain Ash and Aberdare hospitals.


The £66m Government-funded project will provide a 128-bed facility including an 18-chair dental unit treating up to 10,000 patients a year. It is set to open in early 2011.

Commenting on the initiatives, Hart told BBH: "I am pleased to see the speed at which these two developments are progressing. In only six months, the sites have been transformed and it is really encouraging to witness first hand how these hospitals are taking shape.

"By consolidating a range of services on these sites, from primary care to inpatient, outpatient, maternity and GP out-of-hours services, patients will receive better care with a better use of staff and equipment.

"The new Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan is the first hospital in Wales to have all single, en-suite rooms to improve privacy and reduce the risk of infection and The Cynon Valley Hospital will have a mix of 50% single rooms and four-bedded single-sex en-suite bays.

"This is a significant milestone in improving access to healthcare in the South Wales Valleys. These two developments will mean that more services will be available locally, reducing the need to travel and helping to reduce pressure of other hospitals in the region."

The development of Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan is being overseen by BAM Construction, while VINCI Construction are leading the Cynon Valley scheme.