27 October 2022

York Hospital has marked a significant milestone in the building of its new £18m upgrade to the Emergency Department with the completion of the roof.

The ‘watertight’ event is a tradition in the building industry and marks the next phase where work can begin on the interior of the new development. It was celebrated by York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive, Simon Morritt, and staff from the Emergency Department who were given a tour of the interior space.

Simon said: “This is an exciting landmark in the project to expand and reconfigure our urgent and emergency care facilities at York Hospital.

“This multi-million pound investment to develop a brand new two-storey extension and eight bedded resuscitation area to the Emergency Department will increase capacity and improve care for patients. It is a crucial step closer to providing this much-needed improvement.”

“We are really starting to see it taking shape and it was fantastic to walk around and begin to visualise the huge difference this will make for staff and patients.”

Andrew Bennett, Head of Capital Projects, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, explained: “The watertight ceremony is a significant event for the Trust and highlights how well work is progressing with the development. Completing the roof means the building is confirmed as watertight, allowing for internal works to commence in earnest.”

Mike Harkness, Care Group Director for the Emergency Department, said: “It is a fantastic opportunity to make changes and be able to create improvements for the urgent and emergency care service of the future at York Hospital. This investment will provide the extra space and facilities we need and improve initial assessment and faster decision making for patients, as well as creating a much better working environment for our staff.”

The landmark moment was celebrated by Trust staff, contractors, as well as representatives from Kier, the construction company behind the new build.

Dan Doherty, regional director, Kier Construction North & Scotland said: “We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone of the construction of the new Emergency Department at York Hospital.

“We have a long history of working with the Trust and have delivered projects for it for the last 18 years, supporting it with many healthcare projects in the region. We continue to work as a true collaborative partner; working closely with the Trust and the local supply chain to deliver first-class facilities for the community.”

The project is expected to be complete in the spring of 2023 and operational by May 2023.