THE opening of Gwent's long-awaited Specialist and Critical Care Centre (SCCC) could be delayed until 2020.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board chiefs hoped to have by now secured approval for the final business case for the £300 million project at the site of the former Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital near Cwmbran.

That final business case was submitted last October and it had been hoped that approval would come in January to enable a start on building work in May.

This in turn should have allowed for completion by May 2019 for opening in August or September.

But the scrutiny process on the final business case - approval would unlock several years of multi-million pound funding for the project - is not yet complete.

A delegation of health board bosses, including chief executive Judith Paget, attended a meeting of the Welsh Government's Capital Investment Board earlier this week, and she has told board members that the case "is still going through the process of scrutiny."

The demolition of old buildings on the site, and the removal of debris, is complete.

But even were approval to be granted now, it would be unlikely that a start could now be made on building before July or August - and with a three-month commissioning period likely after the completion of building work, it would likely be well into the autumn of 2019 before the hospital would be ready open.

But such a timetable is one that health chiefs would be very eager to avoid, given the need to iron out any problems before a busy winter period arrives.

Another factor making a delay into 2020 more likely is the impending Assembly election. There is no indication that a decision on the SCCC final business case is imminent before the dissolution of the current Assembly early in April, and if as seems likely a coalition government is required, that may take some time to set up, with decisions on such projects further delayed.

A draft version of the health board's integrated medium term plan confirms that the timetable that would have the SCCC commissioned in August 2019 is no longer achievable.

It also notes that the uncertainty "is creating significant difficulties" regarding the planning of developments and improvements at other hospitals such as the Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall, which will assume new roles once the SCCC is open.