GWENT'S health board is looking at spending almost £5.5 million on new specialist staff - including consultants, nurses and radiologists - to make sure its services deliver effectively for patients after the Grange University Hospital opens in 2021.

The opening of the Grange will usher in a major change in the way hospital services are provided for patients across Gwent and south Powys.

As well as the Grange, the Royal Gwent, Nevill Hall and Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr, will deliver acute services.

The Grange will treat and care for the area's sickest patients, those who are seriously ill or have complex problems, and will provide a 24/7 emergency admissions service for patient needing specialist and critical care. It will also have a paediatric inpatient unit, a neonatal unit, and a consultant-led obstetric service.

The Royal Gwent, Nevill Hall and Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr will adopt new roles as enhanced local general hospitals, with all three having: A medical assessment unit/care of older people admissions from 8am-8pm seven days a week; a minor injuries unit; a GP out-of-hours service base; an emergency frailty unit.

South Wales Argus:

NEW ROLE: The Royal Gwent Hospital

These three hospitals will also be bases for specialties serving patients from across Gwent and south Powys. The Royal Gwent will be a centre for planned- or elective - surgery, and will include extended recovery facilities. Nevill Hall is earmarked to be a cancer centre and surgical day centre. And Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr is set to host breast, and foot and ankle services.

The four-site acute services plan will require extra staff, and the health board has carried out an extensive analysis of more than two dozen clinical services models to determine the level of investment involved.

This took into account the need to sufficiently staff four acute hospital sites, the introduction of seven-day working and providing enhanced senior decision making capacity at the Grange University Hospital, the need to provide safe clinical cover 24/7 at all four acute sites, and the centralisation at the Grange of the emergency department.

There is also a need to continue investment - begun to the tune of £429,000 last year - in the recruitment of radiographers to meet an increasing workload.

Investment of approaching £2.3m has been approved for a first phase - considered the most time-sensitive - of recruitment for acute services needed to meet the deadlines for the Grange opening.

This includes 11.9 whole time equivalent (wte) new consultants, 16 new advanced nurse practitioners, 6.8wte nurses, and eight radiographers.

A second phase of investment - of around £1.75m - would include a further 8.8wte consultants, 3.55wte advanced nurse practitioners, and 13.79 wte other staff, mainly in pharmacy, is also proposed, though this is being further scrutinised and a decision is unlikely before the autumn.

It is also possible that further investment in radiology, up to almost £1.4m, could be included in that second phase, though again, this is not set in stone, and the final decision on the amount of funding is likely to be based on a judgement of how many staff might be recruited.

The investment in staff is considered vital if the benefits of the new hospital and the consequent realignment of services are to be fully realised.

The key aim is an improved experience for patients, and improved performance, which would in turn lead to reduced bed and operating theatre needs.