It’s critical PM follows up on promises for new super hospital
LAST week I had the opportunity to get on site and be given a guided tour of the rather magnificent Midland Metropolitan Hospital that is being built on the border of Ladywood and Smethwick, just a couple of miles to the west of Birmingham city centre.
I visited the construction site a few times, back in 2017, before the collapse of Carillion put the brakes on the building works with the hospital nearly 70 per cent complete.
But there really is nothing like getting your boots on the ground and a hard hat on your head to appreciate the grand scale and ambition of the Midland Met.
The building itself, and the plans for the medical care that will be delivered within the walls and the futuristic thermoplastic ETFE (think Eden Project) Winter Garden, is hugely impressive.
The hospital is set to look after close to 200,000 patients a year and to do so in an environment which is specifically designed to promote a sense of well-being, rather than confinement in a hospital.
However, this project is very much about more than just a new hospital. Toby Lewis, the chief executive of SWBNHS Trust, has described it as a “regeneration flagship” for the region, designed to transform the “health and wealth” of the communities of Ladywood and Smethwick where it is situated.
And through that it will be a catalyst for further regeneration plans in the area. The hospital will not only provide much-needed jobs and opportunities in the local area, but also create new green and creative spaces that will be accessible to all.
Since the demise of Carillion, no new work was done on the hospital for over 18 months, although Balfour Beatty are now on site carrying out early works and standing ready to complete the job in early 2022 ahead of the Commonwealth Games arriving in the city.
The full £358 million business case to finish the hospital was approved by the Treasury over six months ago, but since then national government has dragged its heels in giving the Trust the final sign-off that is required if the goal of opening to the public pre-Games is to be achieved.
With the new Prime Minister this week pledging £850 million of funding to 20 hospitals across the country to upgrade facilities, it is critical for our region – amidst his exuberance in seemingly throwing off the shackles of austerity – that he also follows through on promises made by ministers.
This includes giving a green light to the completion of this super new super-hospital so that the team behind this amazing project can finish the job and make the transformational Midland Metropolitan a reality for our region. Paul Faulkner is chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of
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This project is very much about more than just a new hospital... it will be a catalyst for further regeneration plans in the area