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.

DSC_3695

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.

-ends-

For further information please contact Kara Griffiths, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement manager (Estates Developments), University of Birmingham, on +44 (0)7812 671797

Picture caption: Jas Kaur, Booking Manager at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Youssef Mousa, first year dentistry student at the University of Birmingham, Yuhong He, first year dentistry student at the University of Birmingham and Sean Westwood, Trainee Dental Nurse at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust being shown around by John McCabe, Galliford Try’s project manager.

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust– Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust (BCHC) provides accessible and responsive community healthcare across the city of Birmingham and specialist healthcare services, including Birmingham Dental Hospital and community dental services, to the wider West Midlands region. It is one of the largest community healthcare providers in England, employing more than 5,000 staff and is in the advanced stages of the process to become accredited as an NHS Foundation Trust. 

University of Birmingham - The College of Medical and Dental Sciences at the University of Birmingham is a major international centre for research and education in medicine, medical sciences, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and physiotherapy.

Dentistry at Birmingham UK is the first choice for scientists, professionals, and leading students everywhere who want to be involved in world class research, or to get an internationally acclaimed degree in the dental and biomaterials professions. Today, the School of Dentistry is a thriving institution having over 100 Dental, Therapy, and Biomaterial students per year. There are a large number of postgraduate research students together with support staff present in the school. The school continues to grow and is well placed to meet the demands and challenges of the coming years.

Birmingham and Solihull LIFT Ltd (BaS LIFT)- was established in 2004, following the government’s plan to make 'joined-up' public services a reality via the national Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) programme. It is jointly owned by Community Health Partnerships (Department of Health), and Prime LIFT Investments Ltd (which is a joint venture between Prime plc and HICL Infrastructure Company Limited). BaS LIFT working together with its partners, seeks to develop the infrastructure for a new generation of health and social care services for the local community. BaS LIFT has already worked on many new health centres in the West Midlands as part of a long term programme of regeneration and reinvestment in community based healthcare. 

Prime plc- The group was formed in 1996 bringing together individuals with expertise in property investment, design, development and healthcare. Since formation, the focus of the group has been the sourcing, design and development, ownership and management of community-based primary health and social care properties in the UK which are leased to GPs, NHS organisations and local authorities. This supports the long-term shift from delivery of care in acute (hospital) settings into primary care (GPs and community health settings) where care can be delivered more cost-effectively to patients.

One Creative Environments Ltd- is an integrated building design business with a dynamic multi-disciplinary team comprising architecture, landscape architecture, masterplanning, structural and civil engineering, building services, interior design and BREEAM assessment. Specialising in healthcare facilities, the company has a collaborative 360° approach meaning they work in partnership with clients, developers, investors, contractors, manufacturers, advisors, building users and communities to create designs that not only safeguard a smooth construction process but which result in buildings that are easy and cost effective to operate once complete. 

Galliford Try- Galliford Try plc is a leading UK housebuilding and construction group with a turnover of £1.5bn. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and a member of the FTSE 250. The housebuilding business – through its Linden Homes brand – sells distinctive homes to the public and affordable homes to housing associations and local authority providers across the South and South East of England. The construction business carries out building and infrastructure work across the UK with clients ranging from major Government departments through to regulated utilities and private sector companies

Calthorpe Estates– is one of the UK’s most forward-thinking and progressive property investment and development companies. The Calthorpe Estates team is responsible for delivering a multi-million pound regeneration portfolio, including retail and leisure, office and medical developments. The Estate covers 610 hectares in Edgbaston, less than a mile from Birmingham City Centre.

The Sunday Times in March 2013, chose Edgbaston as one of the Top 10 Best areas to live.

Community Health Partnerships- is owned by the Department of Health and is the national lead for the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) programme. CHP has a 40% shareholding in Birmingham and Solihull LIFT Company; BaS LIFT. The LIFT programme continues to provide modern, purpose-built, clean and safe facilities for over 500 GP Practices, Pharmacies and a wide range of community and social care providers across England.