New look for wards at Heartlands Hospital

May 20 2008 By Alison Dayani

THESE are the first pictures of how wards could look at three Birmingham hospitals after a massive £190 million redevelopment.

Bosses at the Heart of England Trust have ambitious plans to overhaul Heartlands Hospital, in Bordesley Green, Solihull Hospital and Sutton Coldfield’s Good Hope Hospital – and this is the 21st Century look they are aiming for.

It features fresh looking, spacious, clean rooms with wooden panelling, modern large glass windows, computer terminals at entrances and even flat screen TVs.

The Foundation Trust, which took over ageing debt-ridden Good Hope Hospital last year, is focussing most of its attention on the Sutton Coldfield site, pumping £100 million into a major revamp that will increase its capacity.

Lisa Dunn, hospital director, said: "Good Hope is an extremely busy site and that is why we are expanding capacity there.

"The whole project is aimed at introducing more private facilities and improving the environment with the best possible finishings.

"Every ward will have a maximum of four beds and there will also be individual rooms which will be much better to handle infection control and bugs like MRSA.

"There will be 300 less beds overall but that is because more services are being put into the community, something that is happening everywhere."

Work will get under way by the end of this year with plans rolled out over the next 10 years.

Solihull Hospital will have a new building after a rehabilitation unit and staff accommodation is knocked down.

The demolition of staff rooms and the Sheldon Unit at Good Hope will help make way for two new ward blocks and other renovations.

To watch a tour of how the new hospital wards will look, visit birminghammail.net

and click on 'Videos & Pics'.