New era in maternity care as services open at the BEACH Building and St Mary’s unit closes

Today (31 March) marks a historic moment for University Hospitals Dorset as the first baby is born at the BEACH Building and St Mary’s Maternity Unit officially closes its doors after over 60 years of dedicated service.

The BEACH Building offers an exceptional Maternity and Neonatal Unit designed to provide comfort, care, and the highest standard of medical support for expecting parents. The unit is set to welcome over 4,400 babies annually, ensuring comprehensive care from pregnancy and birth through to postnatal support.

As part of the transition, a small number of mothers and babies were safely transferred from St Mary’s Maternity Unit to the BEACH Building’s state-of-the-art facilities. This seamless relocation reflected the commitment to providing safe, high-quality care throughout the changeover.

In addition to the maternity and neonatal services, all emergency gynaecology and early pregnancy services have also moved to RBH. Patients requiring urgent gynaecology care must now attend RBH instead of Poole Hospital, ensuring a streamlined approach to emergency services.

The last baby born at St Mary’s arrived this morning, Baby Ademole, and marked an emotional farewell to over six decades of cherished maternity care at the site.

Mum, Dorcas, said: “We didn’t expect him to be born at St Mary’s - he was supposed to arrive at the BEACH. It’s been lovely hearing about the memories from St Mary’s, and the team has shared their years of experience with us."

Baby Leandra was the first to be admitted to the new unit, transferred from St Mary’s earlier that morning, making history as the first baby to receive care at the state-of-the-art BEACH Building.

Mum, Marina, expressed her gratitude, saying: “The new facility is everything we could have hoped for. The staff, the environment, everything made this experience so special and comforting.”

Later in the day, Baby Isla, became the first baby born at the BEACH Building, symbolising the start of an exciting new era in maternity care for families across the region.

Mum, Katy, said: “Isla arrived a little after 11am this morning, with a smooth birth and no complications, and we’re thankful to all the staff here for their amazing care. I’m very tired but so excited, and our son, James, has happily told us he’s 'ready for not much sleep!'"

Senior Inpatient Maternity Matron, Christine Smith, added: “We’re really delighted that our first baby has been born at the BEACH and so pleased that everything went well for this lovely family.”

Commenting on an amazing day, Sarah Herbert, Chief Nursing Officer at University Hospitals Dorset, said:

“It’s a bittersweet moment to bid farewell to St Mary’s after 60 years, but the move to the BEACH Building is a tremendous leap forward in enhancing our maternity, neonatal, and gynaecology services.

“These state-of-the-art facilities will provide families with modern, comfortable care that reflects our on-going commitment to providing the best possible experience for both parents and babies.

“With improved amenities, including the option for a support person to remain throughout the stay, we are proud to offer a space that fosters a positive birth experience.

“We are thrilled to have supported Dorcas, Marina and Katy today with their lovely babies and look forward to welcoming many more families in the years to come.”

The BEACH Building is part of a broader strategy to consolidate emergency services at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. This move will reduce patient transfers between hospitals, alleviate pressure on the ambulance service, and ultimately improve care outcomes for both maternity and emergency patients.

As this new chapter begins, the University Hospitals Dorset team remains dedicated to offering families the highest level of care in an environment designed with comfort and safety at the forefront.

Photos

Baby Isla with mum Katy

Baby Leandra with mum Marina

Baby Ademole with mum Dorcas

New partnership enhances ‘gateway to the hospital’ at Royal Bournemouth’s BEACH Building

University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) has teamed up with One Retail to enhance the patient, staff and visitor experience at its new BEACH (Births, Emergency, And Critical care, children’s Health) Building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Opening in April, the upgraded main entrance will feature a 24/7 Costa Coffee, a Co-op convenience store, and a Stock Shop for clothing, alongside vital hospital services including the Chaplaincy Centre, Charity facilities, Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), and a dedicated Volunteer Hub.

The new BEACH Building will offer patient facilities for top class care, as part of a £500m investment in local health services. The new building spans 23,000m2, the equivalent of 115 tennis courts and will include a new maternity and neonatal unit, enhanced emergency department, dedicated imaging facilities, including x-ray and CT scanning and a critical care unit with a 30-bed capacity.

One Retail will be investing in the retail services to offer a range of products and services encompassing quality, familiarity and choice. One of the first Co-op stores within a hospital site will be opening within the building, sharing One Retail and Trust values such as championing the local community, and prioritising access to healthy and ethically sourced products. It has been designed with sustainability principles in mind, with low energy refrigeration and lighting being incorporated, as well as using recycled materials for signage.

The Co-op will provide access to food and drink, conveniently, to better serve patients, employees and visitors to the site, including sandwiches and food to go, meals for later and key essential products for a hospital environment such as toiletries. Co-op member-pricing also means that its members can save move money on the items shoppers buy the most.

Costa Coffee will be opening 24/7* to serve food and drinks around the clock. One Retail will be creating a dedicated NHS staff area for colleagues to take a break, away from the clinical hospital environment. The store will serve a range of hot and cold food, as well as its range of beverages, with seasonal options. The team will utilise self-service kiosks, click and collect services and the loyalty scheme. A Stock Shop offering high quality clothing, essentials and gifts will also be opening.

This partnership within the Trust’s new building, evolves an existing relationship between the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust and One Retail, who have worked together for around 10 years within Poole Hospital.

Overall, the new retail outlets have created over 40 jobs within the local Dorset area. One Retail will also be working with food redistribution charity, Too Good To Go, which will avoid good to eat food going to waste.

Richard Renaut, UHD’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer said:

"We are delighted to partner with One Retail in creating a new gateway to the hospital—the centrepiece of the BEACH Building at Royal Bournemouth Hospital—enhancing the experience for patients, staff and visitors alike.

"This partnership builds on our in-house services to elevate our food and retail offerings. The new main entrance will feature an improved reception, dedicated space for the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), a welcoming chaplaincy area, and a hub for charity and volunteers.

"We’re also strengthening in-house catering with initiatives like Café West’s reopening, 24/7 hot food availability, and a pre-order app to cut down on queues—all designed to serve our community for years to come."

Andrew Jones, One Retail, Managing Director said: 

“I am absolutely thrilled to bring Co-op into our suite of brand partners – they have a great range and I am sure the people working and visiting the hospital will welcome their offer.

“I am especially proud of the much-needed staff wellbeing area within the Costa Coffee, we all know how hard people work within the NHS and I hope this provides a place to take a break when needed.

“Our partnership with University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust goes from strength to strength and our teams are really excited to be part of the new BEACH building.”

Martin Rogers, Director of Partnership Development, Co-op, commented: 

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) and One Retail.

“Our franchise partnerships are bringing Co-op and the benefits of membership to new, exciting and diverse communities as part of our growth plan.

“Our stores are designed to be a hub combining great quality products, value, deals and ethical retailing conveniently, along with community participation and additional customer services.

“We are proud to launch our latest store in a hospital environment, and be part of the retail solutions developed within the new Births, Emergency, And Critical care, children’s Health Building (BEACH) at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.”

*Costa Coffee will close for a few hours every week, while systems update.

£1.3m solar panel funding awarded to University Hospitals Dorset

University Hospitals Dorset has been awarded £1,368,761 to install further solar panels at Poole Hospital and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH), saving £177k a year in energy costs and supporting investment into frontline care.

It is part of a wider £100m package from Great British Energy, announced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and supporting the NHS to install solar power and battery storage solutions to help drive down energy bills.

The grant will fund solar panels on multistorey car parks and will fully cover the cost of delivering these new panels. The solar panels are expected to generate 700,000 kWh each year, reducing energy bills by £177k per each year. The panels are guaranteed for 15 years meaning UHD will save at least £2.5m in energy costs over the life of the project. The installation will take place this summer and will contribute around 200 tonnes of carbon savings each year.

UHD’s Sustainability and Carbon Manager, Stuart Lane, said: “This is a real boost to our Green Plan and good for our finances too. We have also commissioned several other solar panel projects and this funding will accelerate the pace at which we can meet the full potential of solar generated on our sites, meaning we are a step close to our net zero targets and redirecting energy costs to patient care”.

UHD is also taking a new approach to the decarbonisation of its estate with efficient new hospital buildings such as the new BEACH Building and a £2.1m LED lighting investment to bring older buildings up to modern standards.

Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS England, Chris Gormley, said: “Thanks to the dedication of teams nationwide, the NHS has already implemented hundreds of projects that enhance energy efficiency and drive significant cost savings. This groundbreaking new investment, across 78 NHS Trusts on around 200 sites, will expand solar power generation within the NHS by over 300%, slashing energy costs by hundreds of millions of pounds. These vital savings can be reinvested directly into frontline care, ensuring the NHS continues to deliver for our patients and communities.”

Celebrating our cancer clinical nurse specialists

Today, Friday 14 March, is National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day (CNS Day), and here at University Hospitals Dorset (UHD), we are taking the opportunity to raise awareness and celebrate the vital contribution of this workforce across our hospitals. 

Cancer is a complex and significant disease that will affect 1 in 2 of us during our lifetime. In the UK, the number of people living with a cancer diagnosis is set to double to 4 million in 2030.

In order to meet the ever-increasing needs of people living with cancer now and in the future, the development and investment of the cancer workforce is crucial, and Clinical Nurse Specialists are needed more than ever before. 

CNS' are highly skilled professionals who provide expert care and support to patients throughout their cancer journey. They play a fundamental role in coordinating and delivering personalised care interventions, addressing both the physical and emotional needs of patients.

Clinical Nurse Specialists at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital

Sarah Puttick has worked as a nurse in Haematology for 26 years, six of those as a CNS. She said: "I enjoy supporting our patients from diagnosis, treatment and in the recovery phase and their families. It is vitally important for our patients to have a point of contact through a very difficult time to help reduce anxiety and to generally support."

Jo Valentine and Claire Smith are the Cancer Nurse Specialist Lead and Lead Cancer Nurse resepctively at UHD. They said:"We witness on a daily basis these nurses going above and beyond to ensure that their patient on a cancer pathway receives the best supportive care possible."

"They contribute to improving the patient's quality of life and their experience of care, and potentially their survival. With treatments becoming more advanced, patients are living longer, and the CNS is present from the moment of diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Even after treatment is stopped, the CNS is an invaluable support for the patient at this stage."

"We would like to thank all of them today for their hard work and dedication to their individual services and patients, always ensuring patients are truly supported through this difficult journey."

Clinical Nurse Specialists at Poole Hospital 

"If anyone is thinking of a career in cancer nursing, this is one of the most rewarding specialities to work in. There is opportunity for extended roles, autonomy and professional development, working towards advanced clinical decision making with patient assessment and prescribing skills and also being involved in supporting education and innovation."

For more information about the role including contact details to enquire about future positions, head to our website page here, and for further insight into CNS Day, head here.