STAFF at a Northfield Hospital welcomed HRH The Princess Royal on Wednesday to officially open its newest ward and theatre complex.
Princess Anne met staff and patients at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital as well as cutting the ribbon on the brand new areas which will allow the ROH to treat thousands more patients each year.
The new wards and theatre will enable the Trust to reduce waiting lists for hip and knee replacements across Birmingham and Solihull.
Housed in a state-of-the-art two-storey modular building, the complex contains two wards, four operating theatres and a recovery suite. It was designed and built by innovative company ModuleCo Healthcare and has been awarded ‘Offsite Project of the Year’ at the Building Awards 2020.
During her visit, Her Royal Highness toured the new complex as well as the refurbished Knowledge Hub, meeting members of the ROH team along the way.
The Princess, who is the Patron of The Royal College of Occupational Therapists, spoke to staff about innovative models of care at the hospital, including robotic-assisted surgery and a trial of day case knee replacements by Consultant Surgeon Akash Sharma.
The trial saw 75 per cent of patients go home the same day as their surgery, with an average length of stay of just under 12 hours and a 100 per cent satisfaction rating.
HRH also helped plant a tree in the hospital’s new Platinum Jubilee Orchard. Once fruiting, the 40 trees planted in the orchard will provide apples, pears and plums, to staff and visitors.
The orchard has been planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The scheme invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” and play their part to enhance the environment.
HRH previously visited the hospital in 2006.
Jo Williams, ROH Chief Executive, said: “It’s a tremendous honour to welcome Her Royal Highness to our hospital. I’m so proud of our team and the life-changing care they give to patients every day. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate everything that makes us so special.”
Prof Philip Begg, Executive Director of Strategy & Delivery and the executive sponsor of the project, added: “We have built facilities which provide an exceptional environment for patients and clinical teams. It was a great honour to show Her Royal Highness these facilities and some of the innovative services we offer here at ROH.”
