PLANS are already under way to increase the number of beds available next winter at the Great Western Hospital in a bid to prevent the problems which have occurred in recent months.

Earlier this week, the hospital declared a “black alert”, meaning some non-urgent operations had to be cancelled.

And figures out show that for eight days in January there were no new beds available.

Hospital chiefs say the whole system needs to be looked at, as demand for services could well be even greater in a year’s time, putting more strain on facilities.

A spokesman for the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Work is currently under way to look at how we can increase capacity at GWH in time for next winter, which we anticipate will be just as busy, if not busier than the one we have just seen.

“However given the significant pressure on the whole NHS, it is important to consider the whole health and social care system in the community and not just GWH when looking for extra capacity.

“Over the coming months we will be continuing to work in close partnership with Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group, looking at a number of different alternatives for increasing capacity.”

The GWH opened in 2002, but since then the size of the town has grown.

Next month, it is likely the Swindon Local Plan will be formally approved, which could see another 22,000 homes built over the next decade.

To cope with demand, expansion of the hospital will be vital. Land adjacent to the current buildings has been set aside in the plan.

The plan states: “The plan aims to increase capacity and widen the scope of services provided at existing local health and social care facilities and to provide new facilities to support the increase in population as a consequence of growth.

“The NHS trust has identified a need for further land to accommodate growth adjacent to the Great Western Hospital, which will continue to deliver acute and emergency healthcare.”

The overall decision to expand rests in the hands of the local CCG, which would provide the funding needed for any new building.

Plans were initially drawn up almost a decade ago which could have seen an expansion to the hospital built but this collapsed in 2007 when Bath University pulled out of a proposed partnership deal.