DIGGERS have moved in to begin work on a new treatment centre, that managers hope will help ease a shortage of beds at Swindon's Great Western Hospital.

Car parking space next to the hospital building is being torn up to make way for the new £27 million centre, which should be up and running by 2005.

Although some staff at the hospital have expressed fears that the work will reduce the number of staff car parking space by 100, the trust says the equivalent number of temporary spaces have been set aside while the work is being undertaken.

Over the last few months, staff have found it increasingly difficult to park in the allocated parking spaces.

A midwife, who asked to remain anonymous, called the Evening Advertiser and said: "The parking situation here is already dreadful, every day when I turn up for work I have to set aside at least half an hour extra time to wait around until a suitable space becomes available.

"I pay for a parking permit, but it is no guarantee of a space at all.

"I am worried about turning up late for work, but the parking situation is making things worse."

Swindon and Marl-borough NHS Trust spokeswoman Emma Cane said: "We can confirm we have allocated the equivalent number of car parking spaces to ensure we are not losing any spaces.

"We know parking can be a problem during busy periods and we have employed two members of staff whose job is to help direct drivers to spaces as they become available.

"They work in all weathers and they do a brilliant job."

And at the start of the month, two auxiliary nurses, Kerry Garside and Helen Burnett, refused to pay their £30 parking fines after being forced to park in visitor parking spaces.

But this week Helen was told the council had agreed to let her off the fine, after she explained the circumstances.

Helen said: "I am pleased that I won in the end.

"It was good that I was finally listened to, but it was a pity that I had to go through all that in the first place.

" I am pleased that I stuck to my guns and asked to speak to John Needle at the council, who said he would let me off the fine.

"He did however add that this was a one-off and that I should pay for a ticket in the public car park next time."

The new diagnostic treatment centre will house five new operating theatres and 128 new beds. It will be able to handle an extra 6,000 cases a year.

The centre will fast track routine short stay procedures such as knee, hip and cataract surgery allowing staff at Great Western Hospital to concentrate on seriously ill and emergency patients.

Trust directors hope the new unit will help meet government targets outlined in the NHS plan, which say that by late 2004, outpatients will have to wait no more than three months for treatment and people waiting for planned operations should wait no longer than six months.

The unit will be one of 19 such centres across the country.