Britain’s biggest new hospital in 70 years has treated more than 200,000 patients in its first year but executives are now preparing to move their busiest services to date.
The new £2.6 billion Queen Elizabeth Hospital opened its doors a year ago, and will triple the number of people it treats by the end of the year.
Since June last year, 122,000 patients have been treated on the wards and more than 83,000 emergency patients have been dealt with in the accident and emergency department, which replaced the ageing casualty at Selly Oak Hospital.
Managers at University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust are now bracing themselves for transferring outpatients services from both the former Queen Elizabeth and Selly Oak sites during the weekend of July 2 and 3.
Once this has been completed by July 4, it will mean more than 200 patients every hour passing through the main entrance and into the new outpatients department. It will pave the way for treating around 650,000 patients a year when it is fully operational by the end of October.
Morag Jackson, the hospital’s project director, said the trust has been pleased with the three phased moves so far, despite reports of “teething problems” with broken lifts, basement flooding and patient complaints over care and scalding water from the showers.
Miss Jackson said these issues had now been rectified.
“We have now moved into 80 to 90 per cent of the building,” said Miss Jackson. “All the teething problems are over and sorted now. As with any new building, there are problems with lifts but the quality of the building is good.
“When we moved, staff changed into a new environment and a new model of care and they have now got used to that better way of working.
“The overwhelming majority of patients are pleased with the new hospital, the mix of single and four-bed rooms, the natural daylight and the great views.
“In fact, it has been interesting with our single rooms because many people have asked to be moved to the four bed wards as they want the social aspect of being with other patients. I think they feel reassured by other people, while the frail and elderly patients with dementia in single rooms are able to get a better night’s sleep, and we know how important sleep is in helping people recover.”
All medical departments will have moved into the new building by the end of October with laboratories and equipment the final thing to be installed by April next year.
Once fully open, the hospital, off Metchley Lane, Edgbaston, will be the largest single-site teaching hospital in Europe, overtaking St James’ Hospital in Leeds.
