Birmingham Children's Hospital has celebrated a significant milestone in the construction of its new clinical building on Loveday Street with a topping-out ceremony.

The event marked the completion of the building's steelwork framework. Attendees, including hospital staff, construction partners, and representatives from the hospital's charity, toured the site and signed a steel beam to commemorate the project's progress.

GRAHAM, the construction firm overseeing the project, has been instrumental in delivering this vital healthcare facility. The new building is expected to provide state-of-the-art care for young patients.

Elizabeth Smith, Healthcare Director at GRAHAM, said: "Reaching the topping out stage for the new clinical building reflects the dedication and hard work of the entire project team, as well as the strong collaboration with our partners. The ceremony provided an excellent opportunity for stakeholders to celebrate progress and engage with the development. We look forward to completing the construction and seeing the positive impact this building will have on patients, families, and staff."

The new build, which will represent a significant advancement in medical care, promises to bring numerous benefits to patients, families and staff. This will include advanced medical technology and enhanced surgical precision, reduced travel for treatment and an improved recovery environment, along with comprehensive care.

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Key features of the new building:

• State-of-the-art intraoperative MRI (iMRI) Machine: Entirely charitably-funded by the hospital's charity, this advanced technology allows neurosurgeons to obtain real-time, up-to-date images of a brain tumour during surgery. This ensures more accurate identification and removal of tumours, reducing the need for repeat operations.

• New theatres and recovery area: The building will include new operating theatres and a recovery area, enhancing the hospital's capacity to provide high-quality surgical care.

• Sustainable energy source: The site will feature a ground water heat plant, enabling the entire Children’s Hospital to be powered using sustainable energy, contributing to environmental sustainability.

Steve Cumley, Chief Operating Officer for Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It's really exciting to see the progress on this fantastic facility, which will have a hugely positive impact for our children, young people and families.

"Our teams are continuing to work hard to reduce waiting times impacted by the pandemic. The extra operating theatre in our clinical building will mean we can carry out more operations to help reduce waits further.

"Thank you to our construction partner, GRAHAM, our Vital Services Estates Team, our Charity, clinical and non-clinical colleagues, as well as everyone else involved in making this project a reality. We’re looking forward to getting the new facility open next summer."

Mark Brider, CEO of Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity, said: "It was fantastic to see inside the new building which will house our charitably-funded iMRI machine. A huge thank you again to everyone who contributed to our £1.5m capital appeal. To see the space where this state-of-the-art equipment will be installed really brought our vision to life and we can't wait to see it being used to transform experiences for patients and families receiving care for brain tumours."