West Suffolk Hospital
Location
The West Suffolk Hospital is located to the south of Bury St Edmunds town centre. It is within easy access of the A14 (westerly or easterly direction).
Hospital address:
West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust Hardwick Lane Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 2QZ, Switchboard: 01284 713000
Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds is an attractive and thriving market town at the heart of East Anglia, a region which is rapidly expanding due to the influx of new technology around Cambridge and good connections with the Continent through the ferry ports to the east.
A very popular and traditional market is held twice a week. The town centre has a wide range of shops, including high street names and speciality shops. There are also numerous restaurants and a wide range of leisure and sporting facilities.
Bury St Edmunds is now well into a construction schedule which will see an exciting extension to the town centre opening in spring 2009. The £100 million investment will bring more shops, more homes, more jobs and much more to the heart of the town.
The Suffolk coast can be reached in just over an hour at Felixstowe, Southwold, or Aldeburgh. The historic cities of Norwich to the north, and Cambridge to the west are easily accessible. London can be reached within an hour and a half by either train or car. International travel is possible by ferry from Harwich, or by air from Stansted Airport, 45 minutes away, Norwich or Cambridge.
Suffolk is a beautiful county which remains one of the safest in which to live and work. There is a very good choice and quality of state and private education locally, providing a high standard of education at all levels.
Transport to hospital
Arriving by car
There are several car parks on site, labelled A, B, C, D & E (see the Site Map). Car Park A - the main car park at the front of the hospital - is designated for patients and visitors only. A Pay on Foot system is in use in this car park; and a Pay and Display system in all other car parks. The same charges apply throughout the site. For more information, see the car parking page. When travelling by car please leave sufficient time to park and get to your hospital destination. Please make sure you do not park on the service roads or in ambulance bays in the front of the hospital as these are used by emergency vehicles. Small change for the parking ticket machines can be obtained from change machines in the hospital front entrance area and in the Food Stop cafeteria.
Train
The railway station is on Station Hill (tel: 01284 484950), about 1 mile from the town centre and 2 miles from the hospital. There are at least five train services daily between Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich and Cambridge; the journey time for either is approximately 45 minutes. There is bus service from the station which runs to the main bus station in St Andrew's Street North, with connecting services to the hospital. There is also a taxi rank outside the station, and further taxi offices on Station Hill.
By bus and coach services
The main bus station is in St Andrew's Street North, a few minutes walk from the town centre. First Bus Company runs the 81 minibus service from here to the hospital and return; currently this runs at half hourly intervals, at 22 and 52 minutes past the hour (for timetable enquiries, please call the bus company on 01284 702020).
By taxi
The main taxi rank in Bury St Edmunds is on Cornhill, and there are others at the Railway Station, as indicated above. For a list of registered taxi companies please contact the Tourist Information Centre (01284 764667).
Information Desks
When you arrive at the hospital through the main or rear entrances you will find an information desk manned by the Hospital Volunteers Service who will be happy to help and answer your queries. .
