EXCLUSIVE: Haywood Hospital outpatient building redevelopment is “progressing at pace,” says Trust

Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) is replacing the outpatient building at Haywood Hospital in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, UK. 

Key Construction, a UK-based construction company has been awarded the construction contract by the Trust following “a competitive tendering exercise,” the MPFT spokesperson told Building Better Healthcare. 

The new building is due to be completed in autumn 2025, according to the MPFT spokesperson, and will house all the previous services:

• Outpatient rheumatology services
• Diagnostics
• Physiotherapy and neuro-therapy (not 24 hour)

The services will be available within a larger floor area to comply with current DHSC standards to improve patient and staff experience.

Haywood Hospital outpatient redevelopment

The previous outpatient building contained Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) within its roof, which is a form of lightweight precast concrete.

The “bubbly” material was commonly used in the construction of flat roofs in the UK during the 1950s-1990s and is less durable than traditional concrete as the bubbles let water into the material, making RAAC buildings susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture.

Further, MPFT appointed Armac, a UK-based demolition specialist, to demolish the existing outpatient building, and the demotion was completed in November 2023. 

Update on the construction of Haywood Hospital outpatient building

An MPFT spokesperson explained to Building Better Healthcare that construction work on the new outpatient building at Haywood Hospital started in January and since then “works have progressed at pace.”

To date, the following progress has been made on the build according to the MPFT spokesperson:

• The majority of the drainage is now installed
• The tower crane base is in place
• Lower ground and basement slabs have been poured, with the reinforcement for the vertical walls in place in advance of these works commencing over the coming weeks. 

Bernard Callinan, Managing Director for Key Construction previously commented: “We are really excited to be starting work on this prestigious project and we are committed to working with MPFT to deliver the Trust’s vision for this new facility in a way that seeks to minimise where possible the impact of the construction on the wider Haywood Hospital site.”

Haywood Hospital outpatient redevelopment

The implementation process of the new Haywood Hospital Outpatient building

NHS England allocated MPFT £17.4m as part of its national Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) eradication programme.

The programme aims to remove RAAC from all NHS buildings. 

Although RAAC was found only on the roof of the outpatient building at Haywood Hospital, MPFT decided to replace the entire outdated building as part of its commitment to invest in the future of healthcare in the community. 

MPFT envisioned a new modern building that would be a “fit for the future” facility. 

However, the new building needed approximately £10m in additional funding, which MPFT sourced from local capital allocations.

Initially, Stoke-on-Trent City Council received planning permission in April 2023, and a final business case was approved by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England in December 2023.

Neil Carr, MPFT Chief Executive, previously commented: “A significant amount of work has taken place within the Trust to get us to this point, so I am delighted and proud that we are in a position to get underway with replacing the outpatients building at Haywood Hospital with a new and much-improved facility that will more effectively meet the needs of local people.”

Haywood Hospital outpatient redevelopment