Funded by the New Hospital Programme (NHP), the £100m building will provide two floors of clinical space and help transform the way the Trust provides emergency care.
The new ED will allow DCH to treat more patients and will include a dedicated area for children and young people, as well as space designed for people experiencing difficulties with their mental health. The Critical Care Unit will expand from 11 to 16 beds with the potential to increase further in the future and it will also include a paediatric space. The building will be connected to the main hospital by a link corridor and the space freed up will be re-purposed to support same day emergency care.
A topping out ceremony was held by construction partner Tilbury Douglas to mark the building reaching its highest point, complete with rooftop helipad. Members of the national NHP team, local partners and scheme supporters joined Trust teams to celebrate this milestone, which was marked by the unveiling of the £2m helipad courtesy of the HELP Appeal.
The new building is also being supported by Dorset County Hospital Charity’s Emergency and Critical Care Appeal, which is raising £2.5m for enhanced facilities in the new building, including overnight accommodation for relatives and staff.
Matthew Bryant, chief executive of Dorset County Hospital, said: “This new building is the biggest change in healthcare facilities in Dorchester for a generation. It will transform the way in which we are able to deliver care and will help us bring together expertise in physical and mental health, as well as integrate hospital and community-based services so that they can work together to provide emergency care.”
Robert Bertram, chief executive of the HELP Appeal, added: “Completing the construction of this state-of-the-art hospital helipad is a truly significant moment for Dorset and the whole region.
“As the only rooftop hospital helipad in the county, it will transform the way critically ill and injured patients receive emergency care. By enabling air ambulances to land directly at the hospital, precious minutes can be saved when every second counts, giving patients the very best chance of survival and recovery.”