PLANS are to be drawn up to remodel a local community hospital.

Newcastle based Medical Architecture has won the tender to design a new look for Whitby Hospital, in North Yorkshire, which provides inpatient, outpatient and community services.

The firm, which has designed 50 new build hospitals, was selected by NHS Property Services and the Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group following a “robust” interview process.

Dr George Campbell, chairman of the commissioning group and a Whitby GP, said: “The appointment of Medical Architecture is a very positive step forward in the remodelling of Whitby Hospital.

“In the presentation and interview, Medical Architecture addressed some challenging key issues relating to the site itself which the appointment panel thought was very impressive.

“We will be meeting their team over the summer and then the process of healthcare planning will start.

“Following this we will be engaging with members of the public, patients and staff to get them more involved so they can have their say on the design of the remodelled hospital.”

Paul Yeomans, a director at Medical Architecture, said: “This project offers us the prospect of working with a forward thinking client to provide the local community with the best modern environment for treatment and care.”