Building work on track as construction reaches topping out milestone

Progress on the construction of the new four-storey healthcare facilities at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has been marked with a topping out ceremony as the first area reaches structural completion.

Topping out is a construction tradition which takes place when the building reaches its full height or the final structural beam is raised into place.

Due to the size of the building, construction is being undertaken in four areas, with the first area reaching structural completion. The whole structure is planned to complete at the end of 2026, with building weathertightness following soon after.

To mark this milestone, local volunteers for Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) Rob and Debbie Lewis, who celebrated their 500th hour of voluntary service, were invited to share the occasion and joined Jo Williams, Chief Executive, Matthew Neal, Director of Hospitals Transformation Programme (HTP), Julia Clarke, Director of Public Participation, Dr Ed Rysdale, HTP Clinical Lead and Emergency Medicine Consultant and member of the IHP construction team at the ceremony.

All attendees signed their names on a concrete column on the top floor of the new healthcare facilities – which upon completion in 2028, will become a new, purpose-built Critical Care Unit along with a cancer inpatient ward, both with access to outdoor spaces.

Other services within 27,000 square meter expansion will include a new acute medical floor and an improved front entrance on the ground floor. The first and second floor will be home to Women and Children’s services.

By having these services based at the same site as the bigger, improved Emergency Department, which is also undergoing refurbishment, quicker decisions can be made about patient care.

Sean Delaney, VINCI Building’s Project Director for HTP construction partner Integrated Health Projects, said: “This project has been a collaboration between our team, subcontractors, SaTH colleagues, and local stakeholders.

“The topping out of this first area signifies the strong progress we have made, and we’re looking forward to continuing on this construction journey with the Trust and partners.

Jo Williams, SaTH Chief Executive, said: “It was really significant to see first-hand the progress being made and to meet some of the construction team who are bringing our vision to reality.

The new healthcare facilities are part of a multi-million pound investment to improve care for everyone through modern, purpose-built facilities and ensure more people get the care they need, at the right time and in the right place.”