sponsored by HEALTH SECTOR NEWS
‘Future-facing’ Midland Met ‘one of Europe’s most advanced hospitals’
The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) in Smethwick, designed by HKS, Cagni Williams, and Sonnemann Toon Architects, is complete, providing a new ‘state-of-the-art’ acute hospital for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. After a decade of close
collaboration with clients and co-consultants, the architects, the main contractor, Balfour Beatty, and a team including MEP consultants, Hulley & Kirkwood, structural engineers, Curtins, fire consultants, OFR Consultants, acoustic consultant, Aecom, town planning consultant, Turley, accessibility and inclusion specialist, Edna Jacobson/About Access, and landscape consultant, Grant Associates, have brought the new, ‘future-facing facility’ from conception and clinical engagement through to completion. The architects say the ‘flagship
project’, part of the New Hospital Programme, is one of Europe’s most advanced hospitals, and ‘a community regeneration catalyst in an
The efficient spatial layout centres
around the ‘hot block’ clinical facilities, arranged around six internal courtyards. Less heavily serviced ward accommodation is arranged above the ‘hot block’, with two levels of car parking below. MMUH’s Winter Garden covers five floors across the building’s east-facing side, with its ETFE roof offering ‘a highly transparent, lightweight, and sustainable façade’, bringing natural light into the heart of the building, while offering impressive views out over the immediate neighbouring communities, Birmingham, and the surrounding countryside. Individual patient rooms and
area with high levels of deprivation’. HKS said: “Bringing acute and
emergency care from two separate hospitals into one centralised hub, MMUH is designed to support operational efficiency and technological innovation, while enhancing the patient and staff experience. Featuring surrounding green space, a central Winter Garden, and an accessible roof terrace, MMUH delivers a new model of care that encourages patient mobility, independence, and wellbeing.”
US visitors top online viewers of 2024 Digest
The IFHE Digest 2024 has so far had 2794 online visits, of which 1731 were new ones, writes the publication’s Commissioning Editor, Andy Wavell IEng, FIHEEM.
He explained: “There have been visits to the online version of the 2024 Digest from 20 countries, with the top three being the US – with 927 visits, the UK – with 629, and Mexico – with 164 visits. It’s interesting to note that since we took the decision to provide an online version in 2011 there have been 27,497 visits to the Digest.” He continued: “The IFHE Digest
for 2025 has so far received 27 articles, 20 of which are in the process of being edited. There is still time to provide an article, and I would welcome more. So far this year articles have been received
from the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, the US, and the UK. I offer my thanks to the Editorial Committee, who vet all potential articles to ensure they meet the criteria for inclusion in the Digest.” Those keen to submit an article should contact Editor, Matt Seex, as soon as possible, either by telephone: 01892 779999, or email, at:
mattseex@stepcomms.com Andy Wavell added: “The international editions of Health Estate Journal, published four time a year, continue to have good support from IFHE. Articles published are largely drawn from sister publications in Australia and Canada, with other member countries also providing articles. IFHE news continues to be provided from the member organisations. It would be good to see more articles published in the HEJ, which can be viewed online by registering free at
www.healthestatejournal.com/”
The 11-storey, 84,000 m2 hospital
provides both a purpose-built Emergency Department with imaging and diagnostic services, and a dedicated children’s Emergency Department and assessment unit. There are also 13 operating theatres for emergency, planned, and maternity surgery, a midwife-led birthing unit and delivery suite, two maternity wards and antenatal services, a neonatal unit, same day emergency care for adults, and a regional sickle cell and thalassaemia centre.
wards are designed to optimise natural daylight and views. The hospital provides over 700 new beds, with 50% of inpatients to be cared for in single en suite rooms. Individual patient rooms and bays are designed to promote patient safety and ease of visibility for staff, with single occupancy rooms allowing easy adjustment to accommodate additional levels of isolation if required. Logistics, wayfinding, and patient flow are also central to the hospital design. The interior has a clear design language, centred around easy-to-navigate orange cores, with separate circulation routes for patients, staff, and visitors.
SPARK TSL appoints David Hawkins as new Sales director
SPARK TSL has appointed David Hawkins as its new Sales director, to support NHS take-up of the SPARK Fusion infotainment solution. The move underlines its commitment
to the SPARK Fusion platform, which it says delivers ‘productivity- enhancing apps’ to the bedside, alongside communication, entertainment, and information. SPARK Fusion can be integrated with core IT systems using HL7 messaging. David Hawkins said: “The
Darzi review has shown that the NHS is still in the foothills of digital transformation, and there are enormous gains to be made by adopting the deeper-dive transformation that SPARK Fusion makes possible.” SPARK TSL provides Wi-Fi to retail outlets, transport, and conference
venues, but has developed a specialisation in healthcare since starting work with a large London NHS Trust in 2005. In 2020, it became part of the Volaris Group, which acquired legacy bedside unit provider, Hospedia, the following year.
In April, it acquired Sentean Group, a Dutch company with “a unique digital platform that enables apps to be deployed at the bedside on managed or ‘bring your’ own devices”.
The apps now available include a nurse call system patients can use to indicate what they need before a nurse visits their bedside, and a food ordering app ‘to reduce waste by enabling patients to choose meals that suit them and their condition’. In the Netherlands, patients can also use the platform to control room temperature and lighting, and staff can set electronic door signs.
November 2024 Health Estate Journal 19
Paul Raftery
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