NHS could open new ward at St Mark's Hospital in Maidenhead

NHS authorities in Berkshire are consulting over plans to relocate a short-stay ward in Slough to St Mark’s Hospital in Maidenhead.

The new ward, which could open in spring 2026, would see Jubilee Ward relocated from its base at Upton Hospital and ‘co-located’ with Henry Tudor Ward at St Mark’s.

Jubilee Ward provides care for patients moving between care settings: for example, preparing people to move back home after a stay in hospital.

Similarly, Henry Tudor Ward at St Mark’s provides short-term rehabilitation for patients.

A spokesperson for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – which runs most services at St Mark’s – said Jubilee Ward needed to be relocated because of constraints at Upton.

Jubilee Ward was built in the early 1900s and is one of just a few remaining Nightingale wards in the country.

A Nightingale ward is a large open-plan ward where all patient beds are based in one room.

The aging design of Jubilee Ward and its location on the top floor at Upton Hospital, have meant some patients who need the service have been unable to use it.

These include people living with dementia and bariatric patients – people living with obesity.

The spokesperson said St Mark’s was the ‘preferred option’ for the new ward and would mean part of the hospital is ‘fully refurbished’ to modern healthcare standards.

St Mark’s would accommodate 22 beds in the new ward and give patients access to facilities unavailable to them at Upton.

NHS Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System (ICS) advised of the consultation on the new ward in an article on its website.

The ICS is a partnership of councils, community groups and NHS health trusts in Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

The article said: “Patients are already travelling from Slough to Maidenhead for community inpatient care.

“This is also true for patients travelling from Maidenhead to Slough.

“This location [St Mark’s] makes use of existing NHS space and will be fully refurbished to create a modern, welcoming ward.”

It said limitations in Upton's design had caused problems including ‘increased costs’ which was ‘not sustainable for the future’.

No disruption to patients already being treated at St Mark’s or Upton is expected, the ICS said in the article, and the same health staff would work at the new ward.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is consulting with NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust over the move.

A spokesperson for the Berkshire trust said: “The ward’s relocation is necessary to ensure that it continues to provide high quality and accessible care for our patients in a more appropriate environment for care in the 21st century.

“Our preferred option is to move Jubilee Ward to St Mark’s Hospital in Maidenhead, to co-locate the ward with an existing community in-patient ward.

“The ward would be fully refurbished to create a modern, welcoming, 22-bed ward, improving the quality and experience for patients and staff.”

You can find out more at tinyurl.com/5e4xu429