South Glasgow University Hospital Handed Over

Scotland's largest hospital, the new South Glasgow University Hospital, has been officially handed over, three months ahead of schedule.

The new campus, which hosts the 1,109-bed South Glasgow University Hospital for adults and the 256-bed Royal Hospital for Sick Children, is designed to change to the way healthcare is delivered across the west of Scotland. There will be space for over 1,300 patients, mostly in single rooms, 29 operating theatres, two major accident and emergency (A&E) departments, a maternity hospital, and a state-of-the-art laboratory hub. The campus will even include a landing pad on the hospital roof for rescue helicopters.

Built at a cost of GBP 842million by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Glasgow, United Kingdom) , the new campus replaces the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, the Southern General Hospital, the Western and Victoria Infirmaries, and the Mansion House Unit. In addition to replacing adult hospitals in Glasgow, the new South Glasgow University Hospital will also incorporate a new teaching and learning facility, the Centre for Stratified Medicine, and several clinical research facilities.

With the exception of the critical care unit, all of the patient areas in the adult hospital are single en-suite rooms, a design contrary to the traditional ward-based model. All bedrooms will be light and airy with large window offering views to the outside world. The design will also provide areas for patients to meet and socialize. The atrium of the new hospital will house retail shops and a coffee shop, and there will also be a large restaurant and coffee shop area on the first floor of the hospital, with a balcony and views out onto the landscaped area in front of the hospital.

“This development has been Scotland's biggest-ever hospital building project, so bringing this in ahead of time and under budget is a real achievement in itself,” said Shona Robison, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing, and Sport. “This major development will transform healthcare for patients and staff and I am very much looking forward to seeing the hospital campus up-and-running and welcoming patients in the summer.”

The new adult hospital will be integrated with the children’s hospital, albeit with separate functions and entrances, and a physical link for patients and staff is also planned from the new hospitals into the maternity and neurosciences Institute building. The new hospitals will also be linked to the new laboratory hub via an underground tunnel and pneumatic tube system.

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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde