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QEHB marks 15th birthday

Published on 02/06/2025

The new QEHB when it opened in June 2010
The new QEHB when it opened in June 2010

In 2020, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) was set to mark her 10-year anniversary - a full decade after receiving her first patient.

COVID-19 put a stop to those plans to celebrate, as we became quickly overwhelmed, going on to see well over 40,000 patients with the virus that tragically impacted the lives of countless patients, colleagues and friends.

2025 brings us a new opportunity, to celebrate QEHB’s 15th year, with a look back at our history, a celebration of our people now, and what’s in store for our hospital.

On 16 June 2010, the new building welcomed its first patients, along with staff who relocated from the old Selly Oak Hospital.

It was the first new acute hospital to be built in Birmingham for 70 years and was the biggest single hospital development in the UK at the time, costing £545 million.

It was a world-class facility which was delivered on time and on budget - a 21st century building fit for 21st century healthcare.

Over a number of phased moves, we successfully transferred hundreds of patients from the old Queen Elizabeth and Selly Oak hospitals into the new facility.

It had a 100-bed critical care unit, which was the largest in Europe, and some of the world’s most advanced imaging equipment was bo ught for the new hospital.

This month,we will be sharing staff experiences and stories, which are the heart of everything our hospital does, as we mark this special occasion.

We’ll also be looking to the future as we share some of the plans and aspirations of some of our services, whilst we will also take the time to honour some of the brilliant people who make QEHB what it is, at a special staff QEHB Connected LIVE event on Monday 16 June.

Colleagues, patients, and visitors, will also get to view some of our collective and interesting history, with a dedicated QEHB exhibition launching in the outpatient department, soon.

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