VIDEO and PICTURES: £800k Rowley Regis Hospital revamp nears completion

The overall works are due to finish in the second week of March and hospital bosses say the facilities will deliver many benefits for patients and staff.

Work started last summer at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust-run site to deliver more local services to residents – part of the trust's longer term plan for Sandwell. It came at a time when there were fears amongst some patients the hospital could close.

But bosses hope the refurbishment will quell those worries and show the facility has a bright future.

Toby Lewis, chief executive of the trust, said: "Rowley Regis is a big part of our long-term 2020 Vision for the NHS in Sandwell.

"Through the newly expanded facilities, we want to deliver more outpatient care on the site, as well as expanding our rehabilitation services for people needing longer term care closer to home, either discharged from Sandwell General or Russell's Hall."

It is the first time the hospital has seen major investment for 21 years. It has been able to operate as normal while it has been refurbished.

And bosses say this is thanks to the success of the planning. The majority of the plans were drawn up with the help of and input from patients and staff.

As part of the revamp, a new gym has been built, and a colourful outpatient ward – which features eye-catching photographic prints of nature for the comfort of patients.

Other existing services that have been expanded include phlebotomy, physiotherapy and paediatric.

A car park with 35 spaces has been added, freeing up other spaces at the site for patients to use.

A new primary care and treatment centre, which helps Accident and Emergency services, has been built, along with two conservatory spaces.

The planning process has been the vision of NHS trust project manager Paul Scott, who has overseen most of it.

He has spoken to different parties for the development, including patients and staff, about what they felt needed changing.

He said: "Every member of the community that we possibly could reach had the chance to say what they wanted," he said.

"We had a good and fair, robust response. One of the things that came out quite clearly was Rowley Hospital as a community hospital is loved and cherished by the community and they really do appreciate it."

Clinical team leader Helen Bessant described the revamp as an exciting time for the hospital.

She said: "The really exciting aspect I think of the refurbishment is that this is going to be around community therapy.

"The hospital run outpatient services, so if you had a heart problem, and you saw a consultant, they would see you as an outpatient. We have very few places that can do this, but the hospital is the place for Rowley's community outpatient services.

"It is about a great environment that has been upgraded, such as increasing the number of rooms, the type of space and having the opportunity to open up community outpatient services.

"That will allow people to come to us where we will be able to see more patients. And things like the hospital infrastructure, like car parking, will help too.

"That will allow us to cope with a higher volume of people coming through Rowley. It is really exciting." Hospital patient Colin Green, aged 73, from Halesowen, praised the changes that have taken place.

He said: "It is great now in the hospital, there is a lot more room. It is nice and light inside and the murals on the wall are very good."

The hospital has also seen a second reception desk added.

A clock sits high on the wall in the reception, alongside the touch screen monitors to pay tickets for things like parking, which ticks down the days until the Midland Met hospital, based in Grove Lane, Smethwick, will be completed.