Transformed Sutton Cottage Hospital set to reopen
The newly refurbished Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield Cottage Hospital is due to reopen on Monday, 1 June following an 18-month, £8.5 million transformation into an integrated hub for healthcare services, with a particular focus on prevention of ill health and the wellbeing of older people.
Alongside a range of BCHC outpatient services for adults, the integration of primary care into the new Sutton Cottage sees the relocation of Vesey Practice from nearby James Preston Health Centre. The move enables Sutton Coldfield Group Practice to expand the range of services for patients, with seven ground-floor GP consulting rooms.
The practice plans to provide extended hours of care, with additional support available in the evenings and at weekends to help reduce the need to attend hospital.
The new facility delivers:
- extensive redevelopment of the 125-year-old Sutton Cottage Hospital site as a 'one stop' healthcare hub for over-65s in north Birmingham;
- integrated healthcare provided holistically between secondary, community and primary care (eg. respiratory, diabetes, podiatry, dietetics, chronic kidney disease, frailty, musculoskeletal, bladder and bowel services);
- community diagnostics to support integrated care and alternative pathways to acute hospitals (eg. X-ray, ECG, ultrasound, spirometry, echocardiography, phlebotomy);
- relocation of an established local general practice to support integrated care model;
- additional clinic and treatment rooms to support surge capacity and other 'seasonal' demands eg. winter pressures response and vaccinations;
- inclusion of voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector activity through personalised, non-clinical sessions.
A key benefit of the development is that patients should be able to see more than one specialist in a single visit, delivering a more personalised diagnostic experience and a more holistic preventative approach thanks to signposting to community advice and support.
The facility will also deliver increased capacity to see patients, improving access to care and reducing pressure on acute care services and demand for GP appointments as a gateway to primary care.
Services for children and families previously delivered at Sutton Cottage are being moved into the refurbished space vacated by Vesey Practice in nearby James Preston Health Centre.
The refurbished building interior is designed to offer a contemporary, accessible environment that is intuitive for visitors to navigate, while also creating a more comfortable and efficient working environment. Design detail such as traditional cornicing and picture framing retain connections to the building’s history, balancing modernisation with preservation.
Representatives of a broad range of system partners have taken part in a series of workshops to develop the detail of an innovative model of community healthcare services in the north Birmingham locality, incorporating the new facilities at Sutton Cottage.
The new facility delivers integrated healthcare provided holistically between secondary, community and primary care with a focus on frailty, and input from a suite of services such as respiratory, diabetes, dietetics, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, bladder and bowel, mental health and dementia support.
BCHC's chief transformation officer Chris Holt said:
“We are delighted that, after a long period of planning and preparation and 18 months of hard work on site, the new Royal Sutton Coldfield Cottage Hospital is now set to open for the community.
"The new facilities truly reflect the national ambition to deliver neighbourhood health services, with care shaped around local need. In Sutton Coldfield, that includes a strong focus on frailty and supporting older adults to live well and independently.
“At the same time, this is very much a hospital for the whole community. Co‑locating with Sutton Coldfield Group Practice creates real opportunities for more joined‑up, convenient care and better experiences for patients, and we are excited about what this will offer local people."
Sutton Coldfield Group Practice GP partner Roger Gent said:
“As we approach the date of the move of Vesey Practice to the newly refurbished Cottage Hospital, we are working hard to make the transition as smooth as possible for our patients.
“We are looking forward to being able to offer a wider range of services and working with our health, social and third sector colleagues to offer innovative projects and more integrated patient care. The focus continues to be on offering high quality care, as close to patients' homes as possible.
“There is a real excitement about this significant next step for the practice as we can see the future benefits for our patients and staff. These benefits will also improve the care provided to the wider Sutton Coldfield and north Birmingham community.
“We very much look forward to welcoming patients to the Cottage Hospital and will continue to engage on any issues and concerns in the coming weeks.”
Sutton Coldfield MP Sir Andrew Mitchell said:
“It is wonderful to see years of hard work pay off with our newly revamped Sutton Coldfield Cottage Hospital opening its doors to patients.
“It has taken a huge effort for us to get to this point, and I would like to pay tribute to the Birmingham Community Healthcare team and their great partnership work with Sutton Group Practice.
“This is another example of significant investment in our Royal Town, which has transformed a much-loved historic building into a ground-breaking health facility, specialising in bringing together services to support our older residents.
“After so many years of work, it is a proud day to see it up and running.”
Phil Steele, director of lead building contractors Manton, said:
“Delivering the renovation and upgrade of this historic building into a modern healthcare facility has been a highly rewarding challenge.
"The building’s complex history brought a number of unexpected discoveries during the works, but addressing these in close partnership with the BCHC estates team has been a particularly satisfying part of the journey.”
Luke Spence, associate director of project design partners Design Buro said:
"Working with a building with sections originally constructed in 1897, the Sutton Cottage Hospital refurbishment presented a unique opportunity to create a modern healthcare environment while carefully respecting its historic character.
"Through close collaboration with Birmingham Community Healthcare, Sutton Group Practice and the wider stakeholder team, the design has transformed the facility into a light, welcoming, and patient-centred wellbeing setting, balancing modernisation with preservation, meeting current NHS standards and providing a high-quality environment for patients, visitors and healthcare professionals."
Timeline
1897 - Creation of a nursing home on the site of an existing dwelling at top of Duke Street
1908 - Creation of an eight-bedded hospital on site of existing adjacent dwelling.
1923 - Addition of a further 12 beds, central entrance tower and operating theatre.
1934 - original X-ray department and bed lift installed.
1948 - Sutton Cottage Hospital becomes part of NHS estate
2013 - Sutton Cottage becomes an outpatient facility only
2026 - Sutton Coldfield Cottage Hospital opens following extensive renovation
Further information
- Cottage Hospitals history and construction work discoveries
- Planning application
- Documents associated with planning application