BRADFORD Royal Infirmary (BRI) will see more £9 million of improvements in a boost for patients and staff, it has been announced.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is investing £4.9m in capital funds across two building projects at the BRI, while NHS Improvement (NHSI) is providing £4.25m for three ward refurbishment programmes.

The aim of the projects is to "transform" patient flow, boost the work environment and end enhance the experience and care provided to patients.

Mark Holloway, Director of Estates and Facilities, said the schemes "will enhance the hospital environment for our patients and staff alike".

He added: “A fast-track construction programme has been developed to demonstrate our commitment to provide first-class healthcare and surroundings to match, as well as providing the most effective hospital pathways to meet the needs and demands of our patients."

Mr Holloway said the work would ensure "significant improvements" to services at the hospital.

Work on a £3.7 million capital project to build two new maternity theatres started in January and part of the Trust’s drive to transform its maternity services. The "state-of-the-art" operating theatres should be complete and ready for use by summer 2021.

Renovation work totalling £1.45 million has also been allocated to wards 2, 5 and 12. The refurbishment of ward 12, which began in December, will see the creation of a new paediatric day-case unit, which is expected to be open later this month.

Ruth Tolley, Matron for Children's Inpatient Services, said: “The ward 12 development is an exciting opportunity as the refurbished paediatric inpatient service will sit on the same corridor, directly opposite wards 30 and 32, rather than its current location at the far end of another corridor, one floor down.

“It has been a long-desired move and will enable us to continue to deliver a high standard of care to the children and families of Bradford who use our service.”

Work will then begin on wards 2 and 5 which will house a new surgical assessment unit, acute surgical inpatient beds and a new ‘hot’ clinic, where recently discharged patients are reviewed within days of their hospital departure by consultant surgeons.

Ward 10’s £1.5 million makeover into a peri-operative care unit began this week and is due to be complete by spring 2021.

The A&E department’s high dependency unit will receive a £1.3m transformation with the creation of eight new isolation units, each with negative pressure environments. Work on this project will also start this month.

Meanwhile, £1.2m of both capital and research and development funding will provide the Bradford Institute for Health Research with a new main entrance and concourse which will also include informal and formal meeting spaces. Work begins on this project in late February. Plans are currently being reviewed for the development of the Trust’s endoscopy unit.