Last week we welcomed MP for Halifax, Kate Dearden to CRH to talk through our reconfiguration plans. Kate met with CHFT colleagues, and our construction partners, Laing O'Rourke (LOR) where she experienced how the build will look in our simulation suite. She was also shown around the site where LOR were able to show augmented reality views of how the new hospital will look once built, bringing the building shown in the flythrough video to life. 

Following the visit, Kate, said: “The visit to Calderdale Royal Hospital highlighted the work being done and the plans in place to deliver transformational improvements to our local hospital. 

"From the new car park to the impressive new clinical building, the progress being made will make a meaningful difference for families across Halifax, helping to improve access to healthcare and the overall patient experience. 

"Above all, the visit was a reminder of the dedication of staff working across the hospital. With continued investment and collaboration, these improvements will help ensure patients and families across Halifax receive the care and support they deserve.” 

Chief Executive, Rob Aitchison, said: “It was great to welcome Kate to CRH where we walked through the scale of the plans for our significant new hospital building. It is a landmark development for the local area and will nearly double the size of our current hospital.

“The new hospital building is an important part of our journey to deliver care closer to home in the community, supported by sustainable and innovative healthcare at both CRH and HRI, and our community sites. It will improve the experience of patients using our services, and colleagues, who will have access to state of the art, purpose-built facilities which are fit for the future.”

Laing O’Rourke’s Project Director, Chris Northwood, said: “We were proud to introduce Kate to key members of the team and show her our plans for the new hospital, and also how we’ll be making a positive impact to the local community during our time in the area.

“We were able to discuss how our work will provide new jobs, including apprenticeships, as well as our plans for volunteering in the local community, engaging with schools and colleges, and much more. Kate also toured our immersive collaboration suite, where we talked her through how we've been working closely with Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust colleagues to develop the design, as well as our plans for how we'll safely and efficiently deliver the new hospital. This included our plans for how we'll minimise disruption during construction to hospital staff, patients and visitors, as well as local residents, and how our extensive use of modern methods of construction and off-site manufacturing is supporting this key driver for the project."

Pictured from left to right: Deputy Chief Executive, Jonny Hammond, Chris Northwood, Rob, and Kate, in the Immersive Suite.