Building work has started on a new �15 million hospital for North Norfolk. The first phase of building work on the new Cromer and District Hospital began as builders Mansell moved on to the Mill Road site.The new hospital will replace the original Mill Road hospital which first opened in 1932 and will provide day treatment, out-patient care, minor injuries, renal dialysis and extended diagnostic services.It will cater for an additional 11,000 patients each year and is being funded by �11m and �1m legacies left by local women Sagle Bernstein and Phyllis Cox .

The first phase of building work on the new Cromer and District Hospital began as builders Mansell moved on to the Mill Road site.

The new hospital will replace the original Mill Road hospital which first opened in 1932 and will provide day treatment, out-patient care, minor injuries, renal dialysis and extended diagnostic services.

Construction work is being phased to ensure that clinical services can continue to run on a near normal basis during the building work.

New facilities will include an ophthalmic operating theatre plus new diagnostic services including on-site breast screening service, and a bone density scanner for osteoporosis diagnosis.

The first phase of construction involves refurbishing the old Barclay ward for the renal dialysis unit, and building a temporary car park across the road at Cromer Town Football Club's Cabbell Park ground.

The second phase runs from February to April next year and involves the removal of the current dialysis unit, demolition of the old boiler house, and construction of an access road for the builders.

Building work on the main two-storey hospital building gets under way next April and runs through to February 2012.

Services will be transferred from the old hospital building to the new hospital in spring 2012 before the old hospital is demolished and the grounds.

The plans for the site also allow room for further expansion if required and affordable in the future.

The new hospital, which will cater for an additional 11,000 patients each year, is being funded by �11m and �1m legacies left by local women Sagle Bernstein and Phyllis Cox .

The minor injuries unit will be named after Mrs Bernstein and a procedure unit on the first floor after her sister Muriel Thoms. The audiology unit will be named after Mrs Cox.

Fund-raising is also under way to provide a range of artworks for the new hospital with a theme of sky, sea and land.