Heartbeat: The meaning of Midland Met
August 17, 2021
As you approach Midland Met, you could think that the site is standing still and that nothing is going on inside. But as you enter the gates and make your way towards the main entrance, it quickly becomes apparent that building work is well underway and that Midland Met is taking shape right before your very eyes.
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) stands proudly between Sandwell and West Birmingham and, it will be our flagship hospital. It will be the largest hospital within our Trust, and it will bring together specialties from all areas of our organisation, providing a hub for emergency care.
The highly anticipated hospital means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it means the opportunity to work with new technology in modern purpose-built facilities. For others, it is about enhancing patient care when we move into MMUH. We caught up with one team as they enjoyed a site tour to find out what it means to them.
On a sunny Friday morning, members of the medicine and emergency care team set off on their site tour, with Dave Hollywood, one of our construction advisors leading the way. Heading into the underground car park, colleagues were impressed with the sheer scale of the project. Andy Wilkinson, Directorate General Manager, remarked: “It is great to see the reality of what I have seen so many times on paper. It is quite difficult to fathom the scale of the build, so seeing it in person today; I’m excited to get going with the work we need to do to move into Midland Met.” Amongst the specialities Andy works with is respiratory medicine who can see real advantage to the high side room ratio they have on their ward given the incidence of TB and other infections
Similarly, Dr Sandeep Gill, Emergency Medical Consultant, commented: “It is great to see the work coming along in person and to have the opportunity to walk around and see how it’s all progressing. It helps bring it to life, and what I’m excited about are the facilities our new hospital will offer.
“For both colleagues and patients, this will be a fantastic healthcare facility – it will benefit our local communities in terms of jobs and regeneration and colleagues will undoubtedly enjoy working in such an advanced hospital.”
The team were eager to look around their new department and see how it connects to other areas. As they moved around the site, it became apparent just how big our new hospital is. Dr Asif Naveed, ED Consultant Lead, remarked: “I joined the Trust three years ago for this, for Midland Met. So to see it today in person is impressive. Moving into this hospital with our team is what I am looking forward to. It will offer an enhanced level of patient care which is a positive for patients and our Trust.”
The ED is situated directly adjacent to radiology, enabling access for the ambulance service straight to test pathways for stroke, stable hip fractures and suspected heart attack patients straight into the cardiac catheter labs. This design will speed up the time to diagnostics and treatments improving clinical outcomes.
As the tour concluded, Dr Chetan Varma, Group Director of Medicine and Emergency Care, said: “It is positive to see the amount of work going on. It is a long-awaited project, and I can’t wait to see it completed. You can see it is a building that is fit for purpose, that’s suitable for our patients. It is very modern, spacious, and it will enable us to deliver enhanced patient pathways.”
Clinical tours are now available so that you can go up to Midland Met and see the areas you will be working in. Three tours take place every Friday for up to five people in each group. If you would like to arrange a visit, please email mmuhprojectoffice@nhs.net.