Stroud General Hospital is to undergo a £2m refurbishment to modernise the oldest parts of the Victorian building.

Jubilee Ward and the Minor Injuries and Illness Unit (MIIU) are set to be completely redesigned and refitted in a four-month project due to start on Monday 23 August.

Patients on the 16-bed ward will be accommodated on a temporary ward which is being set up at Cirencester Hospital.

Angela Potter, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), said: “We’re delighted to announce this important piece of work to modernise a large area of Stroud Hospital, which will ensure it will remain a key resource for healthcare for years to come.

“As always we are indebted to Stroud Hospitals League of Friends for their support of this project and for a substantial contribution towards the overall cost.”

There has been ongoing investment in the hospital, first opened in 1875, including a major refurbishment of Cashes Green Ward in 2018 and a £5m development of Bowbridge Outpatients Unit and MIIU in 2000.

But the last significant improvement to the Jubilee Ward and the MIIU was the addition of shower rooms in 2012.

A spokesperson for the hospital wrote that the MIIU treatment rooms are too small, offer little privacy and make it difficult to isolate infectious patients.

The 16-bed Jubilee Ward is spread over two bays, with a single toilet and sink and no shower in each, and two single rooms, which have poor ventilation and no natural light.

Staff in the reception area cannot see the patient waiting area, patient bathrooms or children’s waiting area.

The waiting area itself is part of the main thoroughfare through the hospital, with no windows, ventilation or natural light. There are no staff rest areas and very little office space.

The MIIU service will be available for patients who have booked an appointment using clinic rooms in the Maternity building opposite the hospital. Bookings can be made directly or through NHS 111.

Unbooked visits to MIIU will not be available in Stroud during the refurbishment so potential visitors will need to be aware to use alternative services such as NHS 111, pharmacies or the MIIUs at Cirencester Hospital or Vale Hospital in Dursley.