A special groundbreaking ceremony took place at Torbay Hospital this week (Wednesday 1 July) to mark the official start of building work on the new critical care unit and main entrance.
The exciting £14.5m project will deliver a brand new, state-of-the-art critical care unit (CCU) with dedicated facilities for relatives. This major investment project will see a 14-bed CCU that will have all the latest technology and equipment required to provide a modern, patient focused environment. The project also includes a warm and inviting new main entrance with a café, a shop and additional public amenities.
Work began to prepare the site back in March 2015 and the green light has now been given to the Trust’s main contractor, Interserve – the international support services and construction group – to start construction.
The Trust’s Chairman (Sir Richard Ibbotson), Chief Executive (Mairead McAlinden), together with representatives from the League of Friends and partners, marked the beginning of construction for the new unit.
Sir Richard Ibbotson, Chairman of South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The groundbreaking ceremony was a proud day for the Trust as this project will transform the delivery of care for our patients, visitors and staff.
“The ambitious vision for a new critical care unit began many years ago and, although there is still a lot of work to do, getting this far signifies the huge amount of progress that has been made.
“Our current 10-bed Critical Care Unit is now nearly 30 years old and whilst the unit manages to support our patients to a high standard it’s now time to enhance these facilities and ensure they are fit for the future.
“I, on behalf of the Trust, cannot thank everyone enough for their hard work and involvement in getting the project to this point – it’s fantastic that we can all now see the plans becoming a reality.”
Mairead McAlinden, Chief Executive of South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Today marks a significant milestone not only for the Trust but for the people of Torbay and South Devon. It was a pleasure to be joined at the ceremony by our partners, members of our local community and our League of Friends.
“The league is supporting this exciting project with a ‘this is critical’ campaign to raise £1.6 million to fund the new CCU with the latest high-tech equipment. I would like to encourage everyone to look out for the league’s forthcoming fundraising events to help support this fantastic cause.
“Made up entirely of volunteers, the league works tirelessly to fundraise for the hospital. Every patient will have benefited in some way from their work; whether it is from new state-of-the-art equipment or new artwork to improve the look and feel of a ward.”
Paul Gale, Divisional Director of Interserve commented: “We are delighted to be involved in providing the local community of Torbay and South Devon with a modern, state-of-the-art critical care unit and our team are looking forward to working with South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to realise their vision.”
The hospital’s invaluable League of Friends is supporting the Trust and local patients by launching an appeal to raise £1.6 million to fund the new CCU with the latest high-tech equipment. So far, the League has raised a staggering £700,000 towards the total and they have many more fundraising activities planned over the coming months. Information on the League’s ‘This is Critical’ appeal can be found on their website: www.thlof.co.uk/ccu-appeal.
It is expected that the CCU and main entrance project will be completed by late 2016.
For more information and latest updates on our investment projects, visit www.sdhct.nhs.uk
