Work starts on £2.4m aerial walkway to link Weston Park Hospital to Royal Hallamshire

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals groundbreaking ceremony for the new walkway to link Jessops Wing and the Weston Park Hospital Buildings
Dr Trish Fisher, Clinical Director Weston Park, Kirsten Major, Interim Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals,
Simon Carr MD Henry Boot and Prof Robert Coleman, Trustee WPCC — Sheffield Teaching Hospitals groundbreaking ceremony for the new walkway to link Jessops Wing and the Weston Park Hospital Buildings Dr Trish Fisher, Clinical Director Weston Park, Kirsten Major, Interim Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Simon Carr MD Henry Boot and Prof Robert Coleman, Trustee WPCC

The new glass walkway will enable patients to be directly transferred without the need to be transported by an ambulance or taxi, meaning staff will not have to wait for transport to be available before they can transfer patients between the two hospitals.

Artist’s impression of how the new walkway will look were unveiled at an official turf cutting ceremony on Friday, with work expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Kirsten Major, interim chief executive for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We already have a walkway linking the Jessop Wing with the Hallamshire Hospital and so the new link to Weston Park completes the connections across all three sites.

“It means we can transfer patients in a timely, convenient, dignified and safe way without patients having to go outside and for our staff it provides a safe, easy and quicker link to use rather than having to walk outside.”

The £2.4m investment is part of a wider programme to transform the cancer services which serve Sheffield which has already seen investment in a £7m ward refurbishment programme and the creation of a dedicated Weston Park Assessment Unit.

There has also been £1.64m invested in an interim outpatients department, £500,000 to improve patients’ comfort from Weston Park Cancer Charity’s ‘Beyond the Treatment’ appeal, and last month, plans were approved for a new £3.6m aseptic pharmacy.

How the new walkway between Weston Park Hospital and the Hallamshire will look.

Samantha Dixon, chief executive officer for Weston Park Cancer Charity, said: “We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has supported our commitment to go ‘Beyond the Treatment’ and enhance the patient experience at Weston Park Cancer Centre. We’re proud of what we have achieved and look forward to working alongside Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to create a better life for cancer patients locally.”

And Dr Trish Fisher, clinical director for Weston Park Cancer Centre, said: “We are delighted to mark the start of the new aerial walkway construction with this ground-breaking ceremony. Our specialist staff and supporters have worked tremendously hard to get us to this point, and it is an important part in the overall transformation of facilities at Weston Park Cancer Centre.”