Heartbeat: Midland Met build continues on track despite COVID-19

March 25, 2021

Whilst COVID-19 and the ensuing pandemic has brought industries across the world to a crashing halt, our flagship hospital continues steadily on its journey to completion in 2022. As we finally begin to regain some control of our lives, we look forward to the collaborative acute care models we’re set to see in Midland Met.

With multiple trades on-site at any one time, all vying to play their part and complete the long-awaited hospital, it has been no mean feat to keep COVID-19 at the door, and the build continuing its progression.

Thankfully, when you have an army of trade staff on hand who can build you a world class facility, it doesn’t take much to create the facilities to help colleagues’ social distance and sanitise.

We’ve been working on the build now for several months, and you can start to see the difference. Slowly but surely, the hospital is taking shape. Partitions are going in, areas are getting ready to be signed off on, and you can envisage what it will look like.

Keeping everything moving has been at the top of our priorities and, we’re mindful of COVID-19 too. We have taken measures to keep the site safe, including dedicated areas for people to wash their hands and of course, following social distancing guidelines. We’ve also given snoods to Balfour Beatty staff which are not only warm when working outside but practical too helping to reduce the risk of transmission.

Once complete in 2022, our acute hospital will offer maternity, children and inpatient adult services to half a million people, and, as we take small but significant steps towards opening our new hospital, we will keep you updated along the way. We’ll bring you the latest news, sneak peeks behind the scenes, plus lots more so that when the time comes, you are ready to move to Midland Met.

So what have we achieved in the past 12 months? Since 6 January 2020, when construction began, Balfour Beatty have worked hard to make our vision a reality. Spring 2021 is when we expect to see the power go on, another milestone as we move closer to our grand opening. This means we can start to progressively see permanent lighting be switched on as we head into the summer months.

In practical terms, we have also made progress in what will be our clinical areas. Partitioning in the clinical areas is almost complete, and ductwork installation to the first zones on levels two and three are nearing completion.

Rachel Barlow, Director of System Transformation, commented: “The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital project is, as you can imagine, made up of many people, teams and stakeholders. Once open it will have a far-reaching impact – not only on those we care for but also for colleagues and our community in terms of regeneration, jobs, housing, our charitable endeavours, transport and so much more.

“I feel privileged to be a part of this project. Seeing our hospital being built from the ground up is an honour, and I am looking forward to when we can officially welcome colleagues into their new home. It will significantly advance what we do and how we do it. We will have access to the latest technology, and colleagues can focus on delivering the best possible clinical outcomes and an overall enhanced patient experience.”