Members of the Brighton & Hove business community enjoyed special tours of the city’s new Louisa Martindale Building at the Royal Sussex County Hospital last week. The visits were hosted by My University Hospitals Sussex – the dedicated charity for the NHS Trust – as part of Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce’s Behind the Scenes event programme.
The charity is one of the Chamber’s newest members and the team was delighted to welcome local business-people to the new hospital to showcase some of the state-of-the-art facilities My University Hospitals Sussex supports.
Sarah Springford, CEO of Brighton Chamber, said: “The new hospital building was a superb venue for our recent Behind the Scenes event and the tours were both informative and inspiring. Richard from My University Hospitals Sussex was hugely knowledgeable and provided a rich account and history of the entire hospital campus, as well as the wonderful new building.”
The eleven-storey Louisa Martindale Building opened in June 2023 and is the new home for more than 30 wards and departments, including outpatients, imaging, stroke, neuro-sciences, intensive care and theatres. More than one million are expected to pass through the new main entrance to the hospital every year.
Rosie McColl, Head of Brighton Girls School, said: “The event was a brilliant opportunity to understand the immense scope of the project and to marvel at the reimagined space. I was moved by the team’s determination to transform the patient experience, creating a space where light and colour combine with state-of-the-art technology to improve outcomes.”
Judi Watkinson from JAW Design, added: “The new hospital building has been intelligently designed to provide a calming environment which is light, airy and spacious with some stunning sea views and wonderful art. Congratulations to all involved for delivering such a fantastic hospital for Brighton and Sussex.”
My University Hospitals Sussex raises funds for treatment, care and research which go over and above core NHS funding, making a real and tangible difference to patients and staff alike. At the Royal Sussex County Hospital, this includes investing in a new CT scanner for emergency care, supporting the fit out of the Louisa Martindale Building to improve patient and visitor environments, and investing more than £500,000 in research projects that help improve patient outcomes.
The charity’s attention is now turning to the next stage of the multi-million-pound redevelopment of the hospital campus in Brighton, which will see a new Sussex Cancer Centre opening in 2027. A public consultation on the design of the building has just finished and, over the coming year, there will be huge opportunities for the charity and local businesses to further improve the plans.
Steve Crump OBE, Director of My University Hospitals Sussex charity, said: “Our mission is to enhance the care and experience of everyone who comes to our hospitals. With the new cancer centre, there’s so much potential for our supporters and local businesses to get involved and be part of this exciting journey from the outset. Opportunities to develop a lasting association with such a high profile and well-intentioned project are few and far between, so we’re really looking forward to supporting this.”
To get involved or find out more about My University Hospitals Sussex, please visit www.myuhsussex.org/. Brighton Chamber is a dynamic and welcoming membership organisation for businesses of all sizes to meet, learn and grow. To find out more, visit www.brightonchamber.co.uk/.