Constructed over five floors, the new maternity hospital, located on the Royal Hospital site, is designed to provide high standards of clinical excellence for new mothers and their babies. As the regional referral centre for foetal medicine, investigation, diagnosis and treatment of foetal anomalies, the new hospital will ensure babies who need specialised care will benefit from the new facilities.

The new unit boasts modern amenities and innovative design features aimed at providing a welcoming and uplifting environment. With en-suite rooms equipped with birthing pools, delivery suites, obstetric theatres, and a neonatal intensive care unit – all located on one floor – the unit provides comprehensive care for mothers and babies. Facilities include an admission unit, early pregnancy department, and an active birthing centre, which will provide ten dedicated rooms for mothers who choose midwifery-led care.

A ten-bed ward is located directly above the theatres to support the care of high-risk antenatal and postnatal women. Babies who need additional clinical support after birth will be cared for by the regional neonatology services team based at the hospital. 

“I’m delighted that the new maternity hospital has been handed over to Belfast Health and Social Care Trust,” said Health Minister Robin Swann. “I recognise that this has been a complex construction project, which has encountered delays, however, this is very welcome news. Having visited the hospital during the construction phase and seen first-hand the state-of-the-art facilities, it’s clear that the new unit will help transform maternity services for women and their families.”

Maureen Edwards, Belfast Trust director of finance, estates and capital development, hailed the handover as “a significant step in delivering a new modern facility, which will provide a high standard of care for our mothers and their new babies. Around 5000 babies are born each year at our hospital and this new facility has been designed to provide a caring environment for every mother as they prepare to welcome their baby into the world.”

Owing to guidance having changed since the building was designed, some compliance issues remain, with additional works required to rectify these, as well as work to allow clinical teams to use the new digital records system.

“During clinical commissioning, we’ll continue to monitor all our life safety and water systems,” confirmed Edwards, who added: “We would like to thank GRAHAM-BAM, our design teams AECOM, Isherwood & Ellis, Tetra Tech International, and our project managers from Health Estates, who have worked in partnership with us in delivering the new hospital.”

Peter Reavey, director at GRAHAM-BAM Healthcare Partnership (GBHP), described the project as “a collaborative effort to deliver modern amenities that will enhance the care for mothers and babies”.

Jason Pearson, director of healthcare architecture, UKI, at AECOM, said: “Our design approach placed the wellbeing of mothers, babies, and their supporting family members at its heart – positioning this building as a leading maternity care facility across the UK and Ireland.”

A near decade of delays

In 2015, the Northern Ireland Executive identified seven flagship infrastructure projects as its highest priority projects, of which the new maternity hospital was one. The Northern Ireland Audit Office found that each of the seven projects has experienced, and in some cases, continues to experience, cost overruns and/or significant delays.

The new maternity hospital was originally expected to be completed by the end of 2015. The original cost estimate was £57 million, with costs now expected to hit £97 million.

Following handover, Belfast Trust will commence a clinical commissioning process to ensure the safe transition of service into the new building. This includes ensuring the building is properly equipped, all staff are appropriately trained, and operational plans, policies and procedures are in place supporting new ways of working and models of care.