Kier has been appointed as preferred bidder by Sunderland City Council, to develop a new £36m Eye Hospital in Sunderland for South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
The planned new Eye Hospital in Sunderland will continue to be home to a nationally renowned Cataract Treatment Centre and will strengthen Sunderland’s existing reputation across the NHS, both regionally and nationally, as a centre of excellence for eye services, caring for patients from across the North East of England, Cumbria and beyond.
The project will replace the existing Sunderland Eye Infirmary facilities which are now over 75 years old and will deliver a new home for specialist eye services provided by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT).
The new facility will provide 7,000sqm of state-of-the-art clinical accommodation. Through an accessible and inclusive design, all floors will be easily accessible with the main entrance and reception providing level access from street level from both the north and south approaches to the site.
The ground floor will house the emergency department, and the hospital will also include medical retina, diagnostic imaging, and outpatient services as well as clinical functions.
The ambition of this project is to provide a new contemporary healthcare facility and is a key part of the Riverside Sunderland regeneration scheme, which will create a dynamic mixed use urban quarter, already backed with £100m investment from Legal and General.
Works are due to start on site in summer 2022 with completion due in 2024.
Dan Doherty, regional director at Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: “There are very few specialist eye hospitals in the country and we are pleased to have been given the opportunity to develop a new state of the art Eye Hospital in Sunderland and make it fit for the future.
“We have vast amounts of experience and expertise in delivering healthcare projects across the country and we are proud to be working in collaboration with the Council, the Trust and our local supply chain to deliver this key project for the region.”
