A virtual ground-breaking ceremony was held last month to mark the start of work on Heartlands Hospital’s new Ambulatory Care and Diagnostics Centre (ACAD).
Contractor, Kier, and the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust held the event to provide a flythrough of the project and how it will look, including video clips from medical and nursing staff, community leads, and a patient.
The move was an important milestone in the £97.1m project, which will include construction of a new 18,000sq m, four-storey building that will provide first-class facilities for the hospital, including 120 consultation rooms, 26 specialist audiology and ear nose and throat rooms, ultrasound and X-ray rooms, and new CT and MRI scanners.
The new building is due to be completed in 2022 and, once opened, will care for half a million patients a year.
Since July last year we have invested £7.6 billion in new buildings, equipment, major upgrades and 40 new hospitals to improve the experience of patients, visitors and staff
it has been designed to provide a modern, spacious environment purpose built to meet the needs of patients, with dementia-friendly and accessible design features.
Richard Charman, operations director at Kier Regional Building Central, said: “Heartlands Hospital is a key project for us in the region and we are pleased to commence our works on site.
“The team and trust have worked collaboratively to get us to this point, and I look forward to that continuing as the project progresses.”
Minister for Health, Edward Argar, adds: “The new centre at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust will be a huge asset to the local community, offering a wide range of outpatient, treatment and diagnostic services to meet the needs of nearly half a million patients a year.
“I’m proud this Government is investing £97.1 million in the project as part of our record investment in our NHS infrastructure and it was fantastic to be part of this important milestone as building works get underway.
“Since July last year we have invested £7.6 billion in new buildings, equipment, major upgrades and 40 new hospitals to improve the experience of patients, visitors and staff.”
The new build will boost the trust’s capacity to meet the evolving healthcare requirements of local people, with modern, purpose-built facilities to deliver the best-possible care and high-quality specialist services
During the event a time capsule was buried on the site, capturing memories from when Heartlands was called Little Bromwich and was known as an infectious diseases hospital, to the current time so that future staff and patients can see how much the hospital has changed.
Trust chief executive, Dr David Rosser, said: “The new build will boost the trust’s capacity to meet the evolving healthcare requirements of local people, with modern, purpose-built facilities to deliver the best-possible care and high-quality specialist services.
“The start of construction is a momentous occasion for staff and patients across Birmingham and Solihull and it is only fitting that the time capsule is buried in the grounds of the new build.”
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