AN ambitious strategy to repurpose hospitals and other NHS facilities across Gwent could cost almost £100 million over the next five years, according a health board blueprint.

The opening of the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran next spring will mean new roles principally for the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall Hospitals.

But other sites, such as County Hospital at Griffithstown, and St Woolos Hospital in Newport, are also set for 'rationalisation', according to a report that forms part of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board's integrated medium term plan (IMTP).

Many details have yet to be decided, but the health board's most recent estates strategy details the challenges it faces in maintaining its facilities, and ensuring they are used efficiently.

Ten per cent of Gwent's NHS estate is classed as under-used, and three per cent is empty - and the maintenance and repair bill is more than £100 million, with around a quarter of the issues it encompasses being classed as of high and significant risk.

The IMTP - essentially the health board's three-year development plan - in fact looks a little further ahead in estimating the costs of the aforementioned rationalisation.

The spending proposals are spread up to and including 2024/25, but all the projects would require Welsh Government approval and capital funding, so the timetable is likely to be very fluid, and these factors account for the lack of fine detail at present.

Around half - £47.5 million - of the overall projected cost involves the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall Hospitals.

Both sites will assume new roles after the Grange University Hospital opens, with the Royal Gwent set to become a base for elective inpatient surgery, and Nevill Hall earmarked to host a cancer centre and satellite radiotherapy unit.

Each will provide a range of other services too, and £20.5 million is estimated as the cost of 'high risk infrastructure' to make sure these hospitals can safely provide services in the future.

Investment of more than £5.5 million is earmarked for the Royal Gwent's endoscopy unit - where the number of suites will be doubled to four - and more than £1.2 million is estimated to be required for colposcopy unit improvements.

At Nevill Hall, £10.3 million is the estimated cost of emergency department developments, along with around £8.6 million to support day case surgery.

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Details for other sites are more scant.

Redevelopment of County Hospital carried an estimated cost of more than £19m, but that is the extent of the information issued to date.

Three proposals are outlined for St Woolos Hospital: Rationalisation of the old site (demolition, parking), £5.5 million; rationalisation of the Casnewydd Unit, £8.6 million; and replacement boiler plant, £2.2 million.

Rationalisation of the old hospital buildings at St Cadoc's in Caerleon will cost an estimated £4.55 million, though again there are no further details available, while rationalisation of Maindiff Court Hospital near Abergavenny, and the old Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital, are earmarked at £1.55 million each.

A final scheme mentioned in the report is a health and wellbeing centre for Ebbw Vale, with an estimated cost of £5.23 million.