Following completion of construction last month, a detailed plan has been implemented to ensure the smooth transition of both staff and equipment from the existing site to its new home in Edgbaston.
Project director, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust chief operating officer Andy Harrison, said: “I would once again like to thank all colleagues and partners for their patience and support during the construction period.
“The new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry will provide a fitting environment from which to deliver our internationally recognised clinical services, education and research and we are delighted to be able to welcome staff, students and patients to this superb new environment for clinical treatment and education.”
Professor Phil Lumley, head of the School of Dentistry at the University of Birmingham said: “The facilities within the new building will be a state of the art new home for our world class teaching and research, as the next generation of dentists and dental specialists are trained here.
“As well as the first class treatment carried out here for people from the city region and beyond, we will continue with our ground breaking research to better understand oral and dental health and improve the lives of patients as a result.”
Ewan Forsyth, development director for BaS LIFT said: “The Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry is a fantastic example of how the public and private sector, working together, can deliver cutting edge healthcare facilities for the city.
“This landmark building provides a modern, state of the art environment and can only strengthen Birmingham’s credentials as a centre of medical and dental excellence.”
Mark Lee, chief executive of Calthorpe Estates, said: “Located within Edgbaston Medical Quarter, The Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry joins a thriving community of world class healthcare and life sciences organisations.
“As the first building to be completed as part of the regeneration of Pebble Mill, it sets the highest standard for future redevelopment on the 27 acre site.”
The four storey development is the first integrated, standalone dental hospital and dental school to be built in the UK for almost 40 years. It expects to treat more than 100,000 patients each year.
It houses a range of services for the public including unscheduled emergency dental care, restorative dentistry, oral surgery, oral medicine, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry.
The public will access all dental services in one wing of the building while a second wing provides the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry with world class research facilities and a modern learning environment for more than 600 undergraduate and postgraduate students and trainees.
Volunteering
The new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry would like to hear from volunteers willing to help in two very important roles.
Birmingham Community Healthcare is recruiting a team of volunteers (aged 18 and over) to help with greeting and booking patients in and helping them find their way around the new hospital. Call 0121 466 6506 for more information.
The new dental hospital and school is also appealing for patients to volunteer for treatment to support the clinical learning of University of Birmingham School of Dentistry students.
Anyone over the age of 18 who would like to book a free assessment should email dental.hospital@nhs.net
Key facts
The new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School:
• has a total project cost of £50m.
• is the first integrated dental hospital and school built in the UK for almost 40 years.
• offers 154 dental chairs.
• is equipped to treat over 120,000 patients a year (i.e. at least 120,000 separate contacts).
• offers world class learning and research facilities for more than 600 students.
• sits on a 1.5 hectare (6.7 acre) site, has four storeys and covers an area of 15,465 square metres.
• offers a wide range of clinical services including emergency dental care, restorative dentistry, oral surgery and medicine, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry.