A huge crane has moved into position at a Norfolk hospital as an £8m building project begins in earnest.
The towering machinery has become a new feature on Gorleston's skyline after it was set up in the grounds of the James Paget University Hospital, where work has started to build four new theatres.
The project is one of the biggest investments in the hospital trust's recent history and will provide patients with better facilities, while improving services.
A new state of the art Day Case Theatre Unit - which will cut down on patients' length of stay - is being built alongside three new operating theatres, a new theatre entrance and reception area.
The dedicated day case complex, next to the hospital's existing main theatres, will be equipped with the latest Ultraclean Ventilation systems to give maximum flexibility for surgical procedures.
As well as this, there will be improved pre and post-operative recovery bed spaces and the staff changing rooms will be refurbished.
The hospital has been striving to develop a dedicated facility for day case surgery for some time as many procedures can be undertaken this way, minimising patients' length of stay, and keeping associated risks to a minimum.
Sue Watkinson, director of operations, said: 'This is a really exciting development for our patients. It will be a purpose built day case unit with 21st century facilities.
'We apologise to local residents for any noise or inconvenience while construction is underway, but once completed, it will be a fantastic facility.'
Sarah Downey, elective divisional director and lead breast surgeon, added: 'The new theatre complex will be a major step forward for our patients and our surgical teams.
'A dedicated day case theatre will allow us to streamline our services to achieve the best patient experience possible. Once we have built the day case unit, this will give us the additional capacity to upgrade main theatres while maintaining the surgical services we provide, and minimising the effect this could have on waiting times.'
The theatre project has been developed and designed to be built in a way that causes the least disruption to the hospital's day to day running, but bosses have apologised for any inconvenience caused by the construction.
Work began in early May and is due to be completed in October 2015.
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