Wirral's independent local news website
The next phase of the construction of a new urgent and emergency care centre at Arrowe Park Hospital was commemorated with a beam signing ceremony.
Staff at Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) and Wirral Community Health and Care (WCHC) NHS Foundation Trust gathered for the occasion and signed a steel beam, which will form part of the permanent framework of the new building.
Significant progress has been made in the construction as the steel frame of the new facility is now in place, giving a glimpse of the scale of the new facility. This project, which will see an investment of more than £30 million, in a collaboration between the WUTH, WCHC and additional funding from the Department of Health and Social Care, will transform care in Wirral.
The project will entail a comprehensive overhaul of the existing Emergency Department at Arrowe Park Hospital, operated by WUTH, and the Urgent Treatment Centre, operated by WCHC. This will establish a unified front-door model, providing patients with an enhanced, seamless healthcare experience.
As part of the program, new ambulance bays were installed at the side of the building towards the end of last year, and the roads have been restructured to accommodate the development.
The signing of the beam is the latest milestone in construction. Janelle Holmes, Chief Executive at WUTH and Mark Greatrex, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at WCHC, attended the signing. They were joined by colleagues from both organisations, including Emergency Department and Urgent Treatment Centre staff, the Estates Team overseeing the construction and volunteers from the Emergency Department who also signed the beam. Representatives from Tilbury Douglas, the company leading on construction, also attended the signing.
Janelle Holmes, Chief Executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, said, “It was fantastic to hold the event to mark this milestone in the project. We are really excited at how the development is progressing and now that the framework is up, people can start to see how the building is taking shape. The new urgent and emergency care facility will transform urgent and emergency care for the people of Wirral and will greatly improve patient experience.”
Mark Greatrex, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Wirral Community Health and Care, said, “The new integrated urgent and emergency care building will really improve services for patients with state-of-the-art facilities and additional dedicated areas for children’s A&E and mental health patient care. It’s great to see the vision for joint working between our trusts becoming a reality in this building.”
Once completed, the upgrade will include a dedicated ambulance entrance with enhanced privacy and dignity for patients, a larger ambulance area with greater capacity, and a single-entry point for patients ensuring that patients are provided with the right care in the right place at the right time.
Staff in the department will also benefit from improved working spaces in clinical areas, a dedicated staff entrance leading directly to the new welfare areas, refurbished training facilities, and open layouts to encourage collaborative teamwork.
Image: Janelle Holmes, Chief Executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH); Mark Greatrex, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Wirral Community Health and Care (WCHC), joined by teams from WUTH and WCHC for the beam signing ceremony
Why not follow birkenhead.news on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to news@birkenhead.news