An artist’s impression of the new facility

Construction work has started on a £49.9m elective surgical centre at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

The development is a joint project between North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) supported by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board and NHS England.

And it will enable an additional 6,500 operations to be carried out every year.

The state-of-the-art facility is being built by specialist healthcare construction firm, Darwin Group, and it will have four surgical theatres, X-ray facilities, and 40 recovery beds, as well as 12 medirooms where patients prepare for, and recover from, surgery.

As the centre will be separated from emergency services, the surgical beds will be kept free for patients waiting for planned operations, reducing the risk of short-notice cancellations.

Modular units will be constructed offsite to deliver the project up to 60% faster and with up to 90% less waste than traditional building methods. 

Once groundworks have been completed, the prefabricated units will be brought to Southmead Hospital to construct the building, which is due to open in spring 2025.

NBT chief Eexecutive, Maria Kane, said: “We are delighted to be working with our partners to bring nearly £50m worth of investment to the area’s NHS.

“Once completed this elective centre will transform and improve the way we provide elective care and enable us to treat our patients faster.

“It is wonderful to see work starting on the centre, which will be a fantastic asset for the whole of Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, and we look forward to welcoming our first patients in spring 2025.”

Professor Stuart Walker, UHBW interim chief executive, added: “This centre will improve patients’ experiences of planned surgery, enabling them to receive life-changing treatment sooner and spend time in better health with their loved ones.

“We are excited that work has started on the centre and look forward to continuing our collaboration with partners across Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire to develop and deliver the Centre and services for our patients.”