WORK is on target for a new £28 million hospital wing in the city which is due to welcome its first patients in autumn next year.

And today, the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Joanne Dodds was given a whistle-stop tour of the building site at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) to see how work is progressing.

Cllr Dodds has chosen Bradford Hospitals’ Children’s Charity to be part of her fundraising appeal during her year in office. Money collected will help buy innovative equipment and home comforts for the flagship building for young patients, their families and carers.

The wing will be the new home for children’s services, as well as housing two adult medicine wards and a purpose-built intensive care unit.

It forms the single biggest project within an ambitious capital programme unveiled by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which will result in £75 million being spent on improving patient care across all of its hospitals over the next five years.

She said: "This is a fantastic project for Bradford which will transform the experience and care that our children receive when they are in hospital.

"That's why I chose this as one of my charities, to raise funds for those extras which will make such a difference. We all hope that our children will never be the ones that need this service - but for those that do we must ensure that they have the very best of care in excellent facilities."

The Trust's chief executive, Professor Clive Kay, said: "We are extremely grateful to Cllr Dodds for her support. Her visit gives us an opportunity to show her how the new wing is on track to transform our children’s services and future-proof them against the known population increase for this age group.

"It also enables us to share with her the benefits of a long-awaited, new critical care unit with state-of-the-art equipment that will also be housed in the new wing, as well as a host of other improvements.

"The new hospital wing will be a landmark building and has been designed with patients at its very heart. The whole environment will be much more welcoming and visually attractive."

As part of the project, the main entrance at the front of BRI will also undergo a major revamp with a new reception area which will house a new patient advice and liaison service and Bereavement Centre, as well as retail outlets such as a shop, coffee bar and restaurant.

It will also include a revised rear entrance with improved access for visitors, staff, and those with disabilities and extra car parking spaces for visitors have been promised.