Clinical staff and students from the Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry have visited the construction site of the new facility to have a ‘sneak preview’ of the build with a year to go until students begin their studies and clinicians start treating patients at this landmark building.
This integrated, stand-alone dental hospital and new home of the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry is the first to be built in the UK for almost 40 years. Staff, students and the patient population from across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands are increasingly excited to see the new building take shape.
The students who have joined the University this autumn are the first to arrive since the new building project was launched – and many of them said the appeal of a new building was one of the reasons they chose Birmingham to study.
Reinforcing the strong partnership between Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust and the University of Birmingham, the new facility will secure dental training in the region for many years to come, supporting the future workforce, attracting high quality healthcare and academic staff and guaranteeing a high standard of expertise and dental care for patients.
This significant investment evidences the commitment of the NHS and the University of Birmingham to secure a state-of-the-art clinical and educational dental resource fit for the 21st century for the population of the West Midlands.
The new environment will incorporate leading edge technology, supporting delivery of world class service, teaching and research for many internationally renowned leaders in their clinical field.
Kris Coomar, is a Clinical Lecturer and Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry. He is also the Admissions Tutor. He said that questions about the new building were one of the most popular topics of conversation at recent open days with excitement about the project mounting amongst prospective students. Students applying to the University this year will be the first to go straight into the new building from year one.
He said: “The strong international reputation of the School has always been a draw for applicants to our courses. However, the opportunity for our latest candidates to be the first cohort of students fully trained in the new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry has been a significant attraction and cause of great excitement this year. I have no doubt that our new building will continue to attract prospective students for years to come.”
Tracy Taylor, chief executive of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust said: “The new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry is a symbol of our commitment to providing healthcare services of the highest quality.
"We are committed to working with our partners to provide excellent care and treatment for all the communities we serve in accessible locations that offer fitting environments for modern healthcare.
“This project has been a real success story that shows how public and private sector partners working together can deliver value-for-money infrastructure projects that meet the needs and expectations of public and practitioners.”
The development, being led by Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, together with its partners the University of Birmingham, Birmingham and Solihull LIFT (BaS LIFT), Prime plc, Calthorpe Estates and lead contractor Galliford Try, is based on a 1.23-hectare (3.05-acre) site, with a build cost of £34m. Totalling 15,465 sqm, it will house a range of services for the public including walk-in emergency dental care, Restorative, Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry.
The building has been designed by healthcare and education specialists One Creative Environment Ltd and will give the public access all dental services in one wing of the building with a second wing providing world-class research facilities and a modern learning environment for more than 600 undergraduate and postgraduate students and trainees.
The existing dental hospital at St Chad’s Circus is more than 50 years old and the new building will not only provide a state-of-the-art clinical environment for patients’ treatment but also world-class teaching facilities. As the home of the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry, students will be better located for the main Edgbaston campus and medical school, allowing for improved integration of facilities.