Birmingham healthcare providers commit to joint hospital project

An exciting agreement to explore the co-location of two of the UK’s leading specialistBWHa hospitals has been formalised by the board of directors of Birmingham Women’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Reflecting a shared long-term vision to redesign and deliver improved world-class family centred care, the two organisations have committed to developing an Outline Business Case for joining forces, to create the UK’s first women and children’s hospital on the existing Birmingham Women’s Hospital site in Edgbaston.

Both hospitals already work closely together and have strong ties with the University of Birmingham and University Hospital’s Birmingham. The proposed move will create a regional centre of excellence for healthcare, teaching and research on the Edgbaston campus for the Midlands and beyond.

This development comes at a time when both hospitals are busy developing individual plans to meet current and future demands, and continue to build clinical excellence in specialist healthcare services whilst this work is completed.

Professor Ros Keeton, Chief Executive of Birmingham Women’s Hospital Foundation Trust, said: “This is an exciting development. In essence it will mean we can grow many of the specialist services we currently offer, such as genetics and fertility services, as well as provide our patients and their families with even better services and clinical excellence. For example, it will remove the need for the unnecessary transfer of tiny babies between the two sites.

“This level of development needs to be planned and does not happen overnight so we will continue with our own scheme, Vita, for completion in 2018. This will enable us to redevelop the hospital in order to improve our services, whilst leaving space on the site for Birmingham Children’s Hospital to develop alongside us as an integrated organisation, delivered in modern buildings designed for 21st century patient care.”

Sarah-Jane Marsh, Chief Executive of Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: “By relocating Birmingham Children’s Hospital to be alongside Birmingham Women’s Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham and Birmingham University, we will be completing the health campus jigsaw, offering something unique, not only in the NHS, but on a global scale.

“This will mean better quality care for patients, better teaching and training for staff, and more research opportunities, placing us at the leading edge of medicine as we advance into the 21st century. We are especially delighted to have reached a point with Birmingham Women’s Hospital where we both recognise the strengths of joint facilities moving forwards, so our patients, families and staff have the combined benefits of our world renowned hospitals, which will be even stronger together.”

Joint work will now begin on the Outline Business Case, which is due for completion at the end of 2015 before a formal public consultation with patients, carers, members, the public and stakeholders is carried out.
Birmingham Women’s Hospital will start modernising work on the site in early 2015 and the new joint hospital would not be expected to open before 2022.