24 September 2009
The Princess Royal will officially open the new £61m Bristol
Heart Institute (BHI), part of University Hospitals Bristol NHS
Foundation Trust, on Monday 12 October.
The BHI, which opened to patients in May, brings cardiology and
cardiac surgery services under one roof, allowing staff to provide
more seamless care for heart patients. Designed in
partnership with patients, staff and the public, the BHI delivers a
full range of diagnostic and interventional treatments for heart
conditions to the people of Bristol, the South West and beyond.
On arrival, The Princess Royal will be received in the
Institutes spectacular galleried atrium by the Trusts Chair John
Savage CBE, Chief Executive Dr Graham Rich, and Dr Peter Wilde,
Head of the Division of Specialised Services, who will introduce
her to Department of Health, NHS and local government
representatives.
Her Royal Highness will be given a tour of the building where
she will be shown around the catheter laboratories and state of the
art hybrid theatre, where surgeons and cardiologists undertake
joint procedures. She will also meet staff and patients
on the inpatient cardiac wards.
During her visit a plaque will be unveiled before assembled
guests, all of whom have been instrumental in the planning, design
and construction of this centre of international excellence.
John Savage, Chair of the Trusts Board of Governors, says:
We are delighted and honoured that the Princess Royal is to open
our flagship building. The Bristol Heart Institute is the
largest construction project we have undertaken since the early
1970s. It brings together the very best in ground breaking
research, innovative treatment, gifted and skilled staff in a
building designed to aid the healing process.
Dr Peter Wilde, Head of Division, says: The BHI is a
centre of excellence and I am delighted that Her Royal Highness is
able to come to Bristol and meet many of our dedicated staff. We
will show her innovative and world leading treatments, some
developed in our own research facilities, and she will see
first-hand the 21st century care we provide to patients in this
state of the art facility.
Ends
Press contact: Laura Treasure laura.treasure@uhbristol.nhs.uk
or 0117 342 3718.
