IT IS still early days for one of the biggest construction projects undertaken in Gwent in recent times - but already some of the outlines of the new Grange University Hospital are becoming clear.

The hospital, being built at the site of the former Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital near Cwmbran, is the subject of Welsh Government investment of £350 million and is set to cater for Gwent's sickest patients.

First proposed back in 2003, the project - then and until last summer known as the Specialist and Critical Care Centre - underwent a protracted and extremely detailed planning process, complicated by economic downturn, before being formally backed by health secretary Vaughan Gething in autumn 2016.

Contractors for the project have been on-site for several months now, and this spectacular photograph displays progress to date.

When completed, the hospital will have around 470 beds, and will deal with all major emergencies, while treating and caring for patients requiring complex, specialist or critical care.

It will include a 24-hour emergency department and assessment unit, dealing with emergencies and resuscitation cases, and will boast a broad range of diagnostic services, operating theatres, and a consultant-led obstetric unit.

The hospital will also have a dedicated paediatric assessment unit to manage all paediatric emergencies, and will be a base for neonatal intensive care.

Also at the site will be pathology, pharmacy, and radiology services, including MRI and CT scanning facilities.

The service it will provide will transfer from the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall Hospitals, which will be adapted to carry out different roles.

Grange University Hospital will also have a helipad so that emergency cases can be transferred quickly.

The hospital will serve a population of around 600,000 in a catchment area of Gwent and south Powys.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board currently anticipates the hospital will open its doors to patients in 2021.