Pictured at the contract signing between MPFT and Key Construction are (left to right) Bernard Callinan, Key Construction managing director; Matthew Callinan, Key Construction operations director; Chris Sands, MPFT chief financial officer; Michelle Evans, MPFT associate director – Capital; and Siang Koh, quantity surveyor for DMR

Work to replace the outpatients building at Haywood Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent is due to get underway this month following final approval of the scheme.

Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s (MPFT) Final Business Case for the development has been approved by the Department of Health & Social Care and NHS England (NHSE).

The decision unlocks the £17.4m allocated to the trust by NHSE via its national Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) eradication programme.

The former Haywood outpatients building contained RAAC within its roof – a form of prefabricated concrete plank which has become outdated.

Seeking to maximise this opportunity as part of MPFT’s commitment to investing in the future of health and care and making life better for the communities it serves, the decision was taken by the trust to replace the entire outpatients building with a modern, fit-for-the-future facility.

This will require £10m in additional funding, sourced from local capital allocations.

Neil Carr, MPFT chief executive, said: “A significant amount of work has taken place within the trust to get us to this point, so I am delighted and proud that we are in a position to get underway with replacing the outpatients building at Haywood Hospital with a new and much-improved facility that will more effectively meet the needs of local people.

“This is a major investment for the people of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent which will enable our staff and teams to work more closely together than ever before to deliver services that more effectively tackle health challenges being faced locally.”

Demolition of the existing building was completed in early November, while the trust has contracted Key Construction following a competitive tendering exercise to lead construction of the new facility.

Bernard Callinan, managing director for Key Construction, said: “We are really excited to be starting work on this prestigious project and are committed to working with MPFT to deliver the trust’s vision for this new facility in a way that seeks to minimise, where possible, the impact of the construction on the wider Haywood Hospital site.”