Architects, BDP, said: “In 2021, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust expected a significant increase in local demand for emergency care as a result of a change in catchment area associated with the opening of the nearby Midland Metropolitan Hospital. This led to a need to increase capacity, and to the design of a new, state-of-the-art, two-storey new-build extension adjacent to the existing emergency department at Walsall Manor Hospital. The designs also included the refurbishment of the existing department to provide accommodation which supports an integrated model of emergency, urgent, and ambulatory care.”
Procured through ProCure22, the new £40 m facility provides the Trust with 4,864 m2 of additional clinical space, and includes an Urgent Treatment Centre, a Paediatric Assessment Unit, an Acute Medical Unit, and a Medical Ambulatory Unit.
Specialist facilities within the centre include an isolation room for infectious patients, bariatric provision, and digital X-ray rooms. The new building will help meet local demand, caring for up to 90,000 urgent admissions per year.
Max Martin, Architect principal at BDP, explained: “Good healthcare design is about creating spaces that are responsive and flexible to help the brilliant NHS teams save lives. For Walsall Manor we responded quickly to the clinical requirements, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact that this new emergency department will have on the staff and the community. We are immensely proud of the role we played in the project.”
Eddie Hughes, MP for Walsall North, added: “It’s taken a long time to get to this stage, with such a huge amount of effort by so many people, including the brilliant emergency department team, project managers, clinical directors, and Operations – not to mention the countless staff who have had their say on how the building will work best for patients and staff.”