First patients enter £15.1 million Theatre and Ward Development at RJAH

A £15.1 million Theatre and Ward Development has been under construction at the hospital for more than a year, and the project has reached a major milestone as the Baschurch Day Unit – one of the new departments within the building – welcomed its first patients inside.

Pat Stackhouse, from Churchstoke on the Shropshire-Powys border, was one of the first to arrive ahead of a planned hip surgery procedure.

And, as she took in the smart new surroundings, she said: “It’s very good, it looks very smart. This is a great hospital and this building only improves it.”

The new development also includes the 10-bedded Oswald Ward, Montgomery Outpatients (where the hospital’s Tumour Unit team will be based), a High Dependency Unit (HDU) and four state-of-the-art operating theatres. The first operation inside the new building is scheduled for Tuesday next week.

Despite the building opening to the public, it will not be totally completed until later in the year, after the addition of a link bridge connecting the theatres to the main hospital.

Developers Kier will begin work on this final phase of the project next week.

Mark Brandreth, Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to be bringing this building into use and to be able to offer a world class facility to support our world class staff.

“I am sure our patients will be impressed when they come for treatment inside the development, and it is great that we are already getting such positive feedback.”

Julie Roberts, Acting Deputy Director of Nursing, added: “We have been looking forward to getting this building up and running for some time now, and we have always known it was going to make such a massive difference to the patient experience.

“However, after seeing inside it, I have to say it has exceeded our already high expectations. We are delighted and it has been such a boost to the morale of everyone here at RJAH.”