Local people and staff members will celebrate the start of building work on the new hospital at Southmead on Friday, August 13 with a special turf-cutting ceremony.
Over the past few months, developers, Carillion, have cleared part of the site, demolishing several buildings including the former medical education centre and the restaurant.
After the turf-cutting ceremony the building of the new facilities – due to open to patients in 2014 – will begin in earnest.
Ruth Brunt, Chief Executive at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “Anyone who has been to the Southmead site recently will know that it has already changed beyond all recognition.
“The site for the new hospital has been completely cleared and the turf-cutting ceremony today marks the start of the new building work for the new hospital.
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for everyone. We’re all looking forward to see our new hospital take shape.”
Keith Hutton, Project Director for Carillion Building, said: “We are delighted to have reached this key programme milestone in the development of the new hospital facilities and look forward to working in collaboration with North Bristol NHS Trust to create a hospital that will not only deliver first class healthcare services to the region, but will also achieve the highest standards of sustainability.”
Some of the main benefits of the new hospital include:
- Much greater privacy and dignity for patients with 75 percent of beds in single rooms with en-suite bathrooms or the choice of a bed in a single-sex, four-bed ward
- Plenty of parking with 2,700 spaces in addition to improved transport links that include bus stops at the main entrance
- The hospital will be easy to navigate with one main entrance
- Bright, fresh and airy buildings will offer staff, patients and visitors a view of the outside world wherever they are in the hospital
- All medical services and expertise under one roof.