THE wait for a new improved minor injuries unit at Haslemere Hospital is almost over.
Construction work has begun on the long-awaited replacement to the "wooden hut" with nine prefabricated building modules, being placed in position by crane at the site.
As well as keeping down costs, the use of modular buildings enables the building work to be carried out far more quickly than traditional forms of construction.
"To build this on site could take between six and nine months to complete," said the general manger for Adroit Modular Buildings, Julius Marstand
"But doing it this way, the time spent on site should take six to eight weeks.
"Apart from the roof and cladding, most site work will be taking place inside the building, creating far less dust and disturbance to the adjacent hospital building."
The new building will have features including a traditional-tiled roof and tiled cladding will help it to match its surroundings.
"The buildings are looking wonderful," said Haslemere Hospital's general manager, Rose Parry.
"The wooden hut we have been using has been there since the war so it obviously wasn't ideal.
"The new building is completely modern and will also include more facilities than we had before.
"These include recovery beds and flexible scopes which are like telescopes to look inside the body to check that things like the bowels and bladder are in proper working order."
The minor injuries unit aims to alleviate some of the pressure on the Royal Surrey County Hospital by offering a minor operating theatre and decontamination space to facilitate minor surgical procedures.
It is hoped that once the upgrading work is completed, up to 1,000 investigative and diagnostic procedures can be performed.
The building has been funded by a capital funding grant from the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority.
The unit is to be open Monday to Friday and at the weekend will be occupied by ThamesDoc, which provides emergency doctor cover when the local surgery closed.
The work is expected to be completed by November 15.