THE green light has been given for a £1million state-of-the-art education centre that will take Haslemere’s Holy Cross Hospital to the next level according to its chief executive.

Holy Cross provides specialist services for patients who are severely disabled.

Many patients are referred by other hospitals with their treatment being funded by the NHS.

As well as providing rehabilitation care over shorter periods, Holy Cross provides long-term care for people who have some of the most complex disabling conditions.

It also has to provide education on site to equip staff with the specific skills they need to work there.

Waverley planners have approved the hospital’s application to replace a 40-year-old prefabricated bungalow at the site in Hindhad Road, with a two-storey teaching facility to attract and retain the best clinical staff.

The new facility will also provide a central store to deliver piped oxygen to the many patients who require oxygen therapy.

The education centre will provide a dedicated, purpose-built facility where staff can take part in regular specialist training and knowledge can be shared with other care providers.

Holy Cross chief executive Chris Hinton told The Herald: “Our number one priority is to provide our patients with the best possible care and to do this, we need highly trained staff.

“We aim to attract and retain the best clinical staff and one of the ways we do this is by actively supporting and encouraging staff to further their knowledge, skills and professional development.

“An on-site training facility will be a fantastic resource that will enable us to offer training in an environment that is appealing and conducive to learning.

“All the indications are that the demand for our beds will continue.

“At the moment 37 of our 40 beds are occupied by patients funded by the NHS.

“We are an independent hospital that has always worked with public authorities.

“Quite often we admit patients from intensive care units (ICU) at the Royal Surrey County Hospital and Frimley Park Hospital, which means we can relieve pressure on their very precious intensive care units.

“We can take patients who need to breathe with the help of ventilators, and NHS clinical care commissioning groups save money by bringing them to Haslemere.

“Holy Cross can treat patients from ICU units cheaper and it is much better for them to be here and for their families to visit them here.

“We feel by offering a specialised service and developing our facilities, we are offering something of real value to the local health economy.”

The new centre has been made possible, thanks to the charity The Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross of Liege, which owns the site and has offered to fund the new facility.

The next stage of the project will be to finalise the specification and put the proposals it out to tender.