Work to create much-needed space at Southend University Hospital is continuing, using modular construction methods in order to reduce disruption on site.

A new, three-storey building is taking shape, as the Galliford Try construction team pieces together dozens of modules ‘like a giant Lego set’.

In a tweet this week, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust released images of the modular building, which is made up of interconnected sections, craned into position at the front of the old hospital entrance.

Bosses say work will now begin on the interior of the building ahead of its grand opening next month. 

The trust said: “It’s great to see that the final piece of our new building at Southend Hospital has been placed.

"We’re excited to see it develop over the next month to be ready for staff and patients in April."

The new building is part of £9.7m investment to improve services and help the hospitals cope with winter pressures.

When it opens, it will include same-day emergency care facilities on the ground floor, trauma and surgical assessment units on the first floor, and a large patient discharge lounge on the second floor.