The work will eventually see the demolition of the site’s Mowbray building, which is more than 60 years old and reaching the end of its life.
The NHS needs to increase capacity to support patients whose non-urgent care has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Friarage development is one of more than 50 new surgical hubs that are being created across the country.
The creation of the state-of-the-art surgical hub will enable the Friarage to almost double the number of planned operations it carries out each year from just over 5,000 to almost 10,000.
Subject to final approval of the scheme, the plans for the Friarage will see the hospital’s six existing operating theatres replaced with a modern surgical hub that will include six main operating theatres, two minor operating theatres and a surgical admission and day hub.
The surgical hub plans are just the latest in a series of clinically led developments at the Friarage which have seen the creation of new services and the on-going removal of Second World War-era buildings on the site.
Mike Stewart, chief medical officer at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Mowbray building is more than 60 years old and its removal over the coming months follows the opening of a new services at the Friarage, and paves the way for planned construction work next year on the hospital’s new surgical hub.”