New hospital entrance opens as part of £19.3m facilities upgrade
‘FANTASTIC FACILITY’: The new entrance at Hull Royal Infirmary. Pictures by Jasmine Lee
By Simon Bristow
A Hull landmark is entering the final stages of a two-year, multi-million-pound transformation.
Hull Royal Infirmary has undergone a £19.3m overhaul to create a new three-storey entrance with an assessment unit, modern pharmacy, multi-faith area, and restaurant, plus shops for patients, visitors and staff.
A new children’s ward is being created on the second floor with direct access over the link bridge to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital. As well as the very latest and best in modern health care facilities, the ward includes facilities for parents of sick children who wish to stay overnight.
A much larger and self-contained assessment unit provides better facilities for patients with views over the front gardens and natural light. Pharmacy has moved to the back of the ground floor of the hospital, with a new robotic arm installed to pick prescriptions.
Duncan Taylor, Director of Estates, Facilities and Development at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We needed more flexible space to deliver our services and we’ve now got this fantastic facility more suited to the delivery of modern health care.
INTERIOR: Inside the new entrance off Anlaby Road
“Our patients, visitors and staff will benefit from this major transformation of Hull Royal Infirmary and we thank everyone for their patience while we were busy creating these amazing hospital facilities.”
The new front entrance on Anlaby Road transforms the front of the tower block, a landmark building near the city centre which has remained largely unchanged for more than 50 years.
It’s part of a £60m major capital development project undertaken at the hospital since the start of the pandemic.
As well as the new front entrance, a special block has been created behind the Emergency Department with an additional 52 beds, including isolation facilities for patients with confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19, other infectious diseases and seasonal illnesses more common during winter, including flu.
A new 24-bedded Intensive Care Unit, costing £8m, for critically ill and injured patients from across Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire was opened at the end of last year.
Visitors may still experience some disruption over the next few weeks as the retail units are fitted out and the lift lobby, complete with two new lifts directly to the second floor to ease congestion at busy visiting times, is refurbished.