Topping out ceremony marks major ACAD Centre milestone
Published on 15/09/2021
Staff, patients and community representatives celebrated a significant stage in the construction of the new Ambulatory Care and Diagnostics (ACAD) Centre at Heartlands Hospital at a "topping out" ceremony.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) Chief Executive, Prof David Rosser led the celebrations by laying the final shovel of cement to mark completion of the external structure of the building.
With a year to go until the Centre opens, attendees were invited to leave their legacy by signing a piece of the wall before contractors Kier continue with the programme of works.
The new £97.1m building will provide state-of-the-art facilities under one roof, including outpatients, endoscopy, day case surgery and imaging, and will serve nearly half a million patients each year. It is one of the 20 NHS capital development projects to receive a share of the £850 million funding for new facilities announced by the Department of Health and Social Care in August 2019.
Prof Rosser said: "It is wonderful to see that this stage of the project has been reached and that we are one step closer to this new facility opening. It has been a tough year and despite this staff worked tirelessly with the contractors and healthcare partners to make sure the project stays on track.
"The project is close to the hearts of those involved in the project, including clinicians who have supported decisions on the design of the building so that we can deliver the best possible care for patients. By having a one-stop-shop for accessing diagnostics services, it will make a huge difference for those patients that do not need a hospital stay to go to one place to have their appointments and any treatment they might need. This is why it is great to see this investment in local healthcare becoming a reality."
Richard Charman, operations and safety director at Kier Construction, Eastern and Midlands, said: "Over the last 18 months we have needed the NHS more than ever and we are proud to have reached this important milestone despite the challenging circumstances. We are pleased to progress the ACAD centre, as part of the P22 Construction Procurement Framework, supporting University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) to continue to deliver world-class care to patients.
"We are committed to leaving lasting legacies in the areas in which we work, and as part of this project so far we have provided six virtual work experience placements, supported six young people to take part in traineeships on-site and created four new jobs. We currently have two NVQ apprentices in construction management on-site and a student completing a Construction Management BSc (Hons) degree, providing fantastic early careers opportunities."
The ACAD centre is due to open in October 2022. Situated to the side of the hospital’s main entrance, the four-storey building will cover a 16,000m2 footprint, with each floor being around 3,600m2 – approximately half the size of Wembley Stadium’s pitch.
For further information, please visit the ACAD pages or get in touch via the Big Build inbox.
