9 facts you might not know about the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital

It has been years in the making, but the £988m super hospital has finally welcomed its first patients.

The Midland Metropolitan University Hospital is one of the biggest of its kind to open in the UK in the last decade.

It has been years in the making and was expected to open in October 2019, but was met with a series of delays due to the pandemic, the collapse of a contractor and shortage of construction workers.

The huge hospital has now opened its doors to its first patients.

But the brand new super hospital finally opened its doors on Sunday 6 October.

Here are some facts you might not yet know about the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.

1. The hospital spans an area equivalent to 22 football pitches, with more than 4,000 rooms across 11 floors.

2. There is also 28,000 metres of plasterboard used in the hospital. That is enough to fill 160 lorries.

3. Robots are being used onsite to help with heavy-lifting. Twelve automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are working away behind the scenes, transporting heavy things like laundry and rubbish across the 11 floors.

4. The hospital has more than 30 different colour schemes, which has used more than 18,340 litres of paint.

5. There are 633 CCTV cameras fitted across the whole site.

6. The hospital uses 800km of voltage cables, which could take you from the Sandwell to Scotland and back again.

7. There will be a winter garden and outdoor spaces which are designed to help patients stay active.

8. A two-way talk system is in place, which will mean patients can directly connect with nurses in emergencies. This will be a more convenient and effective replacement of old 'buzzer' devices.

9. There will be dedicated spiritual rooms and specially-designed spaces for neurodiverse patients.

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