Yahoo News Ambulances to move 600 patients to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital as it opens six years late
Around 600 patients are set to be moved to a new hospital over the next two months. West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) will be deploying vehicles and staff to transport the patients to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) safely.
The hospital in Smethwick is set to open on Sunday, October 6, and the patients will be taken over across three days in the space of a few weeks. On Sunday, WMAS will transfer roughly 300 patients from Sandwell Hospital.
That will be followed by a further 60 maternity patients from City Hospital on Wednesday, November, 6, before the final day of transfers on Sunday, November 10, will see approximately 220 patients moved from City Hospital to the new site.
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The transfers will be done using 60 ambulances, a combination of 999 emergency vehicles and non-emergency patient transport service ambulances. All of those being used will be in addition to normal ambulance numbers, to ensure there is no detriment to the daily 999 service, a spokesperson for WMAS said.
The hospital is opening six-years later than the original target of 2018. It was predicted to cost around £350m but the cost of building the hospital has now risen to at least £750m with running costs expected to push the total cost to nearly £1bn. IT has more than 730 beds as well as a new emergency department and dedicated children’s A&E.
READ MORE: First look around The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital
Head of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response at WMAS, James Williams, said: "A lot of hard work has gone into this project over the last nine months to ensure we are fully prepared to transfer patients to the new hospital. We have worked closely with colleagues from Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals throughout the planning process and are confident the plans we have put in place will ensure patients are moved efficiently and safely.
"Our staff are used to moving patients every single day, it is what we do as a service. We will ensure every patient has the correct level of care provided to them when moving between hospitals, depending on the severity of their condition. I would like to thank everyone who has played a part in getting us to this stage, and to all of the staff members who have agreed to work extra shifts to ensure the three transfer days will operate above our normal business as usual levels."
