Countdown is on to opening of New Hospital

22nd Jan 2016

TODAY marks the start of a 1000 day countdown to the opening of the new state-of-the-art hospital – The Midland Met.

 Marking the event, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust has asked local representatives to unveil digital clocks at four main sites across the Trust to count down the 1000 days until the Midland Met is opened.

Chair of the Birmingham Health and Wellbeing Board, Cllr Paulette Hamilton will unveil the clock at City Hospital at 9.15am, while Leader of Sandwell Council Cllr Darren Cooper will do the same at Sandwell Hospital at 9.30am. Simultaneously at Rowley Regis Hospital, James Morris MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, will unveil the clock in main reception, to be followed at 10am with Bill Hodgetts from Healthwatch Sandwell doing the honours at Leasowes Intermediate Care Centre.

This will be followed at 11am by a celebratory event on the Grove Lane Midland Met site hosted by SWBH NHS Trust Chairman Richard Samuda. He commented: “Today is a historic one for our local communities, as we move within 1000 days of the opening of our new hospital. Focusing acute beds on one site is something that our clinicians are particularly enthusiastic about as it will guarantee that we continue to provide long into the future, the leading service we are so proud of.”

Dr Nick Harding OBE, Local GP and Chair of NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG will begin the countdown, he said: “It’s a real privilege to start the countdown to the hospital; a moment Right Care Right Here partners have been working towards for over ten years. Midland Met Hospital is more than just a new building, it represents all of our aspirations to deliver quality care for patients and support Sandwell and West Birmingham to be a healthier and better place to live.”

On the agenda is a multifaith ceremony to bless the ground the future hospital will stand on. SWBH NHS Trust Lead Chaplain Ann Stevenson commented: ““The Chaplaincy team has been given an extraordinary privilege to pray a blessing for the ground and the new hospital build. Dedicating the ground for the purposes of health and healing will be basis of the words we use.”

Adam Green, Managing Director, Carillion Construction Services said: “Today is a momentous day and Carillion is very proud to mark the beginning of the construction of this hospital. This project will help create a wealth of opportunities for local people and businesses, through jobs, skills, training and apprenticeships and when it is complete the hospital will provide state-of-the-art healthcare for the people of Sandwell and West Birmingham for years to come.”

The Trust’s website has all the latest details of the Midland Met, with the plans for what services will be located at other sites within the Trust. The Birmingham Treatment Centre will remain, and a new Sandwell Treatment Centre will be developed on the Sandwell General site. A video ‘flythrough’ has been developed to illustrate what the new hospital will look like. It can all be found on www.swbh.nhs.uk.

Ends

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