HEALTH care trust chairman David Noble cut the first piece of earth to signal the start of work this week on a £24m extension to Salisbury District Hospital.

He was joined at the Monday ceremony by other Salisbury Health Care Trust bosses, hospital staff and David Cook, managing director of Gleeson's Southern Construction Division, the builders carrying out the work.

Chief executive of the health care trust Frank Harsent said: "The new building will be the largest development seen on this site since phase one of the hospital was built in 1993.

"It will mean that key services provided from the older southern part of the hospital will move to a new modern building attached to the main hospital on the north side of the site."

Mr Cook, of Gleeson, said: "We welcome the opportunity of working with Salisbury Health Care Trust on such a prestigious project.

"Our experienced team will work closely with the trust throughout the construction period and make every effort to progress the work with the minimum amount of disruption to the day to day business of the existing hospital."

The building, which has been designed using the views of local people and staff, will house the regional burns unit, elderly care and orthopaedic wards.

It will also have an outpatient department comprising plastic surgery, maxillo facial, laser treatment centre and therapy services.

The burns unit will be situated on level four and will have a dedicated operating theatre and will be located near the intensive therapy unit.

Orthopaedics will have purpose-built accommodation, also on level four, and close to the main theatres.

Plastic surgery and maxillo facial outpatient services will have its own department on level three, so that it links in with general outpatient and diagnostic services on the same level in the existing hospital.

The medical and elderly wards will be situated on level two, next to the Nunton Unit, which provides physiotherapy.

In designing the new building, the aim has been to maximise natural daylight and ensure excellent views for patients across the Wiltshire countryside.

Overall bed numbers will remain the same, although the percentage of single rooms in the specialties to be moved will increase from 25 to 40 per cent.

Other new ward areas will have four-bedded bays with en suite bathrooms and toilets.

The hospital laundry service, run from the Old Manor Hospital, on Wilton Road, will also move to a new building close to the extension.

Mr Harsent said: "The majority of the services that will move to the new development are currently located on the older south side of the site.

"This development will not only enable them to have their own modern, purpose-built accommodation, but it will also mean that they will have natural links to the acute and diagnostic services in the newer part of the hospital."

Mr Harsent added: "Over the coming two years, we will look closely with our strategic partners at the needs of the local health community and how best we can utilise the vacated area on the south side, bearing in mind that the Hospice remains a key service on this part of the site.

"Now that work has begun on this development, we can start to consider how best to embark on phase three.

"This will see improvements to women's and children's services."