Hospitals bosses in Bradford have unveiled a multi-million pound vision for the future.

Over the next ten years Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will spend up to £70 million improving buildings and wards at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital.

The modernisation programme, which will transform the face of the city's hospitals, replaces a £116 million Private Finance Initiative which was shelved when the Trust gained foundation status in April 2004.

Unlike NHS Trusts, as a foundation trust, bosses in Bradford have the freedom to decide locally the capital investment needed in order to improve services and increase capacity. The Trust can borrow to support this investment and can also generate, retain and reinvest financial surpluses for the benefit of local NHS patients.

Chairman of Bradford Teaching Hospitals, David Richardson said the Trust was conscious of the need to improve hospital buildings but said: "We have no intention of using PFI because we can achieve the outcome ourselves and we do not need a private sector partner.

"As a foundation trust we have freedom and flexibility and we will not saddle the people who come after us with a massive millstone of debt around their necks.

"It is about making sure the capital programme is underpinned by a good business model. This is a very ambitious plan and it is where the hospital needs to go to improve our facilities and the services we deliver for our patients."

Director of planning and performance at the Trust, Dean Johnson, said in developing the capital strategy, several factors had been taken into consideration, including St Luke's Hospital development plan, patient choice, strategic developments, commitments and clinical risk.

"St Luke's development plan includes moving all acute inpatients to BRI," said Mr Johnson. "The wards will be for rehabilitation patients rather than those requiring surgery or emergency cases.

"Acute renal patients will move to BRI, reducing clinical risks.

"Patient choice gives patients a choice of four hospital and we want patients to chose to come to Bradford.

"We have to update the accommodation so that it is more appropriate and what patients would expect in the 21st century."

That would include changes to the large, traditional wards - known as Nightingale wards.

"We will be looking at Nightingale wards - some people like them but for the purposes of infection control it is better if they are divided up in case of an outbreak of infection.

"We have the opportunity to develop new services such a radiotherapy, putting an end to patients travelling to Cookridge Hospital.

"Strategic developments from our corporate strategy published in April set out plans for radiotherapy and a cancer centre - two of the biggest items in this capital strategy.

"A new cancer centre will house chemotherapy and outpatients in one site, instead of being fragmented over three different areas of BRI. This development will take around two to three years to achieve.

"As a teaching hospital we are committed to developing a new lecture theatre and teaching facilities, which have already been started.

"It will take between seven and ten years to carry out this plan and it will be the biggest investment in Bradford hospitals since the Horton Wing was built in the mid 1990s."

e-mail: claire.lomax@bradford.newsquest.co.uk ends