A topping-out ceremony was held earlier this month to mark a major milestone in the construction of a new operating theatres building at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
The ceremony, which marked the final steel beam being put in place on the two-storey building, was attended by board and project team members from the hospital along with the management team from construction firm, GRAHAM.
The theatres block build began in April 2022 and will house seven operating theatres; a dedicated paediatric recovery area; a reception area; and a dedicated same-sex recovery area. It will also provide opportunities for future development, with the theatre space large enough to incorporate robotic technology and modern open-plan theatres, all on the first floor.
This is a major step in the redevelopment and future plans for our Hinchingbrooke site as we await news of a funding announcement to confirm if we are on the list for the New Hospital Programme
And, on the ground floor, there will be new departments, with the most up-to-date facilities and design, for the pathology and pharmacy teams to move into from their current home in the main hospital.
Arshiya Khan, deputy chief executive and chief strategy and transformation officer for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Hinchingbrooke Hospital, said: “This is a major step in the redevelopment and future plans for our Hinchingbrooke site as we await news of a funding announcement to confirm if we are on the list for the New Hospital Programme.
“To see the progress since last year, from completion of the enabling works in April 2022, through to the building that we have now, shows just how far we have come.
“And this milestone represents a truly-exciting step in our plans for the future.”
Ronan Hughes, regional director at GRAHAM, added: “The placing of the final steel beam is a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Hinchingbrooke Hospital and GRAHAM is proud to be working in close partnership with the trust to deliver this new, world-class healthcare facility that will benefit and serve the local community for years to come.”
Phase 1 of the Hinchingbrooke Hospital redevelopment programme was completed in January 2020 and saw the urgent and emergency care centre increase in size, with a new ambulatory care unit and acute assessment unit (AAU), two mental health support rooms, and an increase in emergency department space.
Phase 2 is the construction of the main theatres block which will provide a bespoke environment for surgical procedures and replace the current theatres in the main hospital, which are nearing the end of their functional life.
Phase 3 of the programme is dedicated to a new hospital build by 2035 in order to replace the main hospital site, which is experiencing known structural issues with the roof and walls due to the concrete used in the original construction process in the 1980s.
