Hexham General Hospital has an urgent treatment centre open 8am-10pm, and regular outpatient clinics. Wards include an oncology day unit, a surgical ward for patients who have had general, orthopaedic and gynaecological surgery, a stroke rehabilitation and care of the elderly ward and a general medicine ward.
For the privacy and dignity of patients the hospital wards are largely single, en-suite rooms. The hospital also has a midwifery-led maternity unit with birthing pool. Two GP practices are based within the hospital.
Our approach to person-centred visiting
Person-centred visiting means we will work together with our patients, their loved ones, and our staff. We follow these principles:
- Welcoming – We welcome and encourage the involvement of the people who matter to our patients.
- Patient-led – We are guided by our patients. They can decide when the people who matter will visit and how they would like them involved in their care. We also note when they want to have some rest.
- Partnership – We work in partnership with the people who matter to our patients.
- Flexibility – Visiting hours are between 10am and 8pm. We are happy to be flexible if any visits need to take place outside of these hours.
- Respect – We respect people’s individual needs. We will act on an individual basis to ensure the safety, privacy, and dignity of all patients. This means there may be times when we need to ask people to leave a clinical area temporarily.
Approach
Our visiting hours are between 10am and 8pm daily.
We ask that there are no more than 2 visitors at a time. These visitors can change.
Please speak to the nurse in charge if you have any concerns.
For more information, see our visiting guidance here.
By road
Leave the A69 at the Hexham junction, following signs into the town. Go over one roundabout and then turn left at the next roundabout. Follow the road round and up the hill. At the top, turn left onto the A695. The hospital is located on the right-hand side.
Sat nav postcode NE46 1QJ.
By bus
For up to date bus information, please visit the Traveline website
By rail
Hexham receives regular services from Newcastle Central Station and Carlisle. The hospital is a short walk from the station. Check the Trainline website for timetables of all services.
Charges
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0-40mins = Free*
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40mins-1 hour = £2
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1-2 hours = £3
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2-3 hours = £4
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3-4 hours = £5
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24 hours = £6
Please take a ticket to raise the barrier to gain entry to the car park. You will then use this ticket to pay at a pay station before leaving. The payment machines take coins and notes, as well as credit and debit cards.
There are free lay-bys for pick-ups or drops offs or for those picking up a prescription at the pharmacy (maximum stay 20 minutes).
Disabled parking
There are a number of designated free parking bays reserved for disabled drivers displaying a valid blue badge permit
Electric vehicle charging
This hospital has electric vehicle charging points for use by patients and visitors.
Concessionary car parking
We offer free car parking under certain circumstances for patients or their visitors. This includes those patients attending regularly over an extended period, visitors of long-stay patients and those who are staying in the hospital with patients. This list is not exhaustive and exemptions are issued by the ward or department manager – please speak to them if you think you may qualify.
We are proud to be part of the Active Hospitals programme. This means we encourage patients and staff to be physically active. If you feel able to, why not walk or cycle to your appointment? Not only will it improve your health, it also helps our planet. The maps below can help.
We have public bike storage areas at these sites:
- North Tyneside General Hospital - Diabetes Resource Centre entrance
- North Tyneside General Hospital - Alley to left of Urgent Treatment Centre entrance
- North Tyneside General Hospital - Right of main entrance doors
- Northumbria hospital, Cramlington - Between visitor car park and bus stop
Go Smarter, Go Active maps
PLEASE NOTE: Details in these maps are based on the latest information available at the time of publication. While every effort has been made by Transport North East to make sure they are correct, we cannot accept any liability resulting from omissions or inaccuracies.
There could be works or closures on particular routes. We advise that you check with the relevant local authority before setting off on your journey.
If you don't feel able to walk or cycle to your appointment, but would like a more sustainable way to travel, please consider using public transport. You can plan your journey here.
The hospital has disabled access and induction loop.
Cafés and restaurants
There is a restaurant for visitors and shop/cafe run by our Northumbria Volunteer Service which is open 8am-4pm, Monday to Friday.
Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi is available in this hospital – just choose NHS Wi-Fi on your smart device and follow the registration process to gain access.
We are currently updating the internal maps of our hospitals.
There are signs to guide you when you’re in our hospitals. There are also volunteers or reception staff who can provide directions.
April 2024 update
Important update on the final phase of the multi-million-pound refurbishment of Hexham General Hospital
Over the past 18 months, the programme has delivered a brand-new maternity unit with a number of other building projects including an oncology day unit, women’s health unit, endoscopy service, oral surgery and dental unit - all due to be fully completed by the summer of 2024.
The final phase will see the hospital’s current four operating theatres fully refurbished to create a fantastic, modern resource at Hexham that will support innovations like robot surgery which is proving so successful for patients at other hospital sites managed by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The work will see all four operating theatres fitted out with the most modern laminar flow systems which circulates air around the surgical area, minimising the risk of infection for patients.
This will mean much greater flexibility and resilience for surgeons and patients at Hexham by creating an environment that can be used for both surgical and orthopaedic procedures.
The current theatre suite at Hexham will need to close for approximately 12 months while the work is completed with patients and staff moving to either Alnwick Infirmary or North Tyneside or Wansbeck general hospitals for operations that need a general anaesthetic.
The work is anticipated to begin in September/October 2024 with surgical capacity increased at other Northumbria Healthcare hospitals to ensure the flow of patients can continue at the usual pace.
While this local disruption has not been taken lightly, it was felt that the alternatives would either take too long or add even more disruption to the hospital site. Adding a temporary, mobile operating theatre in the car park was considered, but this option was not suitable for patient dignity or privacy.
FAQs
What happens to people who would usually have surgery at Hexham while the building work is going on?
While the building work is being completed patients will be booked into Alnwick, North Tyneside or Wansbeck hospital instead. Staff currently working in theatres at Hexham will also move around the patch to support. the theatre service.
Why are you doing this now?
This is part of the overall refurbishment programme of the hospital, and this is the final phase of work to compete. While there is no ‘good time’ to do this sort of work the contractors are already on-site completing phase two of the project so they can move seamlessly onto the theatre element of the works.
All four operating theatres need to be refurbished to ensure they are fit for the future and have the latest laminar flow technology needed for certain operations. The works will also make the theatres more efficient, flexible, and resilient.
Will this affect waiting times for patients?
No. The work will be absorbed across the trust’s other hospitals using existing staff. By moving to seven-day working, operations should carry on at the usual pace.
Why did you choose to transfer all surgery instead of doing work bit by bit?
We considered a wide range of options including partial closures or continuing operations on a mobile unit at Hexham. However, all the other options either took longer, were more disruptive or did not provide the level of safety, privacy and patient dignity that we would expect.
Could you not have used a temporary solution at Hexham while the work is done?
We looked at installing a mobile unit at the west entrance of the hospital, but this meant road closures, a loss of parking and significant disruption for other parts of the hospital.
Upgrading the theatres two at a time consecutively would have taken two years and because of the complexity of the work would still have required total closure of all four theatres for at least 24 weeks.
When will it be finished?
The closure will begin in September/October 2024 with the work scheduled to take 12 months.
