The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Northfield welcomed Her Royal Highness to open its new theatre and ward complex

On Wednesday 29 September, HRH visited to meet staff and patients at the hospital, as well as cutting the ribbon on brand-new facilities which will allow them to treat thousands of extra patients every year.

The new facility will enable the Trust to reduce waiting lists for hip and knee replacements by treating more patients in Birmingham and Solihull.

Housed in a state-of-the-art two-storey modular building, the complex contains two wards, four operating theatres and a recovery suite. It was designed and built by innovative building company ModuleCo Healthcare and has been awarded ‘Offsite Project of the Year’ at the Building Awards 2020.

During her visit, HRH toured the new complex as well as the refurbished Knowledge Hub, meeting members of the ROH team along the way.

HRH, who is the Patron of The Royal College of Occupational Therapists, spoke to staff about innovative models of care at the hospital, including robotic-assisted surgery and a trial of day case knee replacements by Consultant Surgeon Akash Sharma. The trial saw 75% of patients go home the same day as their surgery, with an average length of stay of just under 12 hours, with 100% satisfaction rating.

The Platinum Jubliee Orchard

HRH also helped plant a tree in the hospital’s new Platinum Jubilee Orchard. Once fruiting, the 40 trees planted in the orchard will provide apples, pears and plums, to staff and visitors.

The orchard has been planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The initiative invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee” and play their part to enhance the environment.

HRH previously visited the hospital in 2006.

Jo Williams, Chief Executive at ROH, said:

“It’s a tremendous honour to welcome Her Royal Highness to our hospital. I’m so proud of our team and the life-changing care they give to patients every day. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate everything that makes us so special.”

Professor Philip Begg, Executive Director of Strategy & Delivery and the executive sponsor of the project, added:

“We have built facilities which provide an exceptional environment for patients and clinical teams. It was a great honour to show Her Royal Highness these facilities and some of the innovative services we offer here at ROH.”