WITH less than five months to go, the new Great Western Hospital is rapidly taking shape.

Since October 1999, a nondescript muddy field beside the M4 motorway has been transformed with bewildering speed into what will become a cutting edge hospital with facilities to rival any in the country.

The L-shaped acute hospital, costing £100m, will have 551 beds and will have a staff of 3,500.

Overseeing the completion of the Great Western Hospital is Carillion's assistant project manager Tony Wehby, who shares responsibility for ensuring that the numerous contractors working on the site complete their work to exacting standards and within projected time scales.

And so far, things appear to have progressed relatively smoothly.

Mr Wehby explained that from a professional point of view, building a hospital presents unique challenges.

"With a hospital building like this one, there are so many factors to take into account.

"Each area has to conform to the needs of the clinical staff working there, so we have been working closely with the clinical staff to ensure that everyone will be happy with the end result. "One of the jobs I was working on before this was a prison build-ing I can tell you, that was a lot easier."

Walking through the hospital building it was possible to get a real feel for the end result.

It has the aura of a posh hotel rather than the purely functional surroundings you might expect.

Mr Wehby explained that great efforts had been made to make the building more patient friendly, with a colour scheme ranging from earthy browns on the ground floor to stratospheric blues and purples on the upper floors.

And all beds will be equipped with entertainment screens which will have cable television and telephones.

Among the range of improve-ments over the ageing Princess Margaret Hospital is a children's play area in an open quadrangle leading from the second floor children's ward, which is painted with colourful murals throughout.

Mr Wehby said: "The biggest problem for staff will be getting patients to leave."

Each of the blueprints for the hospital has been approved by hospital consultants so that any potential glitches can be ironed out before its November 5 comp-letion date.

Not only has the building been put up with bewildering speed, but efforts have been taken to ensure that the project is one of the most environmentally friend-ly projects of its size in the country. More than half of the waste material generated on the building site, some 323 tonnes of rubble, has been recycled.

Only 280 tonnes have been sent to landfill sites.

Contractors are currently work-ing in the building to put in place the carpets and fittings as well as testing electrical, gas and water services.

Large pieces of equipment, such as medical scanners and ultra clean room equipment are also being fitted.

And preparations are being made to hang a 50-square metre piece of engraved glass, one of many pieces of artwork that will grace the completed building.

The new hospital is one of the first to be built under the Private Finance Scheme.

All health care services will continue to be provided by NHS staff.

The building will be leased from the Hospital Company. Carillion will be responsible for maintain-ing the building and employing maintenance staff, including security, portering and catering.

At the end of the 30 year period the building will become the property of Swindon and Marl-borough NHS Trust.

Other buildings on the hospital site will include a 60-bed rehabilitation unit, a staff accommodation block and a crche.