New Royal Shrewsbury Hospital ward block reaches major construction milestone
Topping out ceremony marks key step in £312m plan to transform healthcare across Shropshire
A hospitals trust has celebrated a significant milestone in its multi-million pound plan to transform healthcare in Shropshire.
The topping out ceremony for the new four-storey ward block at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital was held inside the steel frame of the building on Wednesday (December 17).
Next year the building is scheduled to be handed over to The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH). The first patients should be welcomed into the building in 2028.
Officials say they have reached this point on time, on budget and without a single workplace accident.
For Lisa Walker, SaTH’s quality matron, it was an emotional moment at she stood inside a mock-up of one of the en-suite rooms in the women’s section on the first floor.
“To actually see a bed in a room at a building being built is so emotional for me.
“Being a nurse, it’s just absolutely wonderful.”
Dr Jenny Rowlands, consultant radiologist and deputy medical director, said:
“It is a springboard because this is just the start.
“There is excitement across all of the patch as we create the best health pathways for patients.”
Dr Rowlands referred to the £312 million Hospitals Transformation Programme (HTP) as a ‘healthcare’ transformation programme.
Shrewsbury will be the base for acute care while the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford becomes the county’s hub for planned care.
Mr Morgan, who came to SaTH last October, raised a laugh when he said he had spent “many a happy hour staring out of my office window watching everyone else hard at work”.
He added that watching other people work was a skill developed “over many, many years” as a chief executive.
“Watching other people work is very enjoyable.”
But he added that the “magnificent building” had “blocked his view” for the very best of reasons.
“It does not stop me staring out of the window,” he added.
Five people have had their handprints placed in a block of concrete to form a lasting legacy for the new ward block.
They include SaTH information receptionist Shirley Wakeley who is retiring from the trust after 30 years. The others are Andrew Morgan, Jo Williams, Sean Delaney and Lisa Walker.
Attendees included hospital volunteers, construction team members and officials.
Also among the official party was Mayor of Shrewsbury and Shropshire Council deputy leader Councillor Alex Wagner.