Hospital’s new space has healthy view to its past
SAM VOLPE takes a look at an impressive new addition to an old friend
THE new Wearmouth View building at Monkwearmouth Hospital in Sunderland has been completed after 18 months of building work.
Staff have now moved into the new facilities – which are across three storeys and provide a “welcoming, bright entrance” to the hospital, NHS bosses said.
The building includes a new reception area, cafe open to the public, and offices and meeting facilities for services including local community mental health teams.
Construction work began in August 2022. The Cumbria, Northumbria, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust, which runs mental health services at the hospital, has also created more outdoor space and there will soon also be a memorial garden in the grounds.
The foundation stone and commemorative plaque marking the old building’s opening have also been retained in the new design. The building phase also saw a time capsule dating to 1930 discovered.
On a visit to the building last week, CNTW’s board chair Darren Best said: “These are modern facilities we can be really proud of, which will enable us to deliver modern services.
The amount of quality space for our staff is amazing, especially for our community teams.
“And I’m pleased to see that important plaques and stones from the old building have been kept, so we can look back to the past and history of this site.”
The work has involved the wholly-owned subsidiary company NTW Solutions and a range of contractors including Sir
Robert McAlpine, Argon and Railpen.
James Duncan, the NHS Trust’s chief executive, said: “This site has been used for a long time providing a whole range of healthcare services in Sunderland – and although we had to redevelop it, I think it’s a fitting tribute to John Priestman (the Sunderland philanthropist whose donations funded the building of the original Monkwearmouth Hospital) that we will continue to have this fantastic building providing health services in the heart of this community.
“It’s remarkable to think this building has taken shape in 18 months, against such a challenging background of the pandemic and financial pressures. It’s been a real partnership effort to see how we could all work together to make it happen. We have the building now, so I’m excited to see how we can all use it to best effect for everyone – staff, patients, and the community.”