The external structure of the new Elective Centre at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, which is being built by Darwin Group, has now been completed, with over 200 modules lifted into place by a crane over six weeks to create the building structure.
Set to open in Spring 2025, the new facility is a joint project between North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), supported by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board. It will enable up to 6,500 additional operations to be carried out across Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire every year.
The next steps for the building are to carry out the internal works, which include installing steelwork to strengthen the building, pouring concrete to create the internal floors and stairs, and installing internal partitions to create the rooms. Once the internal building work is completed, work will begin on installing new ‘state of the art’ operating theatres and supporting clinical facilities.
NBT and UHBW Joint Chief Executive, Maria Kane, said: “It has been amazing to see the Elective Centre take shape over the last couple of months. The additional surgical capacity the building will provide will have a significant impact on the number of patients we can treat, and we cannot wait to see it completed over the coming months. Thank you to our neighbours and patients for your patience during these works. We hope you are as excited about this project as we are.”
UHBW Interim Chief Executive, Stuart Walker, said: “Working closely together for the benefit of our patients and populations is at the heart of the NBT and UHBW Joint Clinical Strategy. Reaching this important milestone in the construction of the new elective centre takes us a step closer to realising our shared vision of delivering seamless, high quality, equitable, and sustainable care across Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, providing sustainable solutions for elective care.”
David Jarrett, Chief Delivery Officer at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, said: “It’s really exciting to see this state-of-the-art elective centre take shape, moving us closer to providing significant capacity to deliver more planned care for people across the area. This collaborative project underlines our health and care system’s commitment to delivering efficient and effective patient centre care that is sustainable for the future.”
Darwin Group deputy CEO, Jim Pierce, said, “We are incredibly proud to work as partners to design and construct this Elective Centre at Southmead Hospital. The projects we deliver help to transform patient and staff experiences, and improve healthcare outcomes, for tens of thousands of people every year. It’s always great to see work, and to hear first-hand about the impact that the facility will have on the local community, and we are very much looking forward to the opening of the centre.”
