UNIVERSITY Hospitals Dorset has begun a £1.5 million fundraising appeal to transform the new hospital building in Bournemouth.

The BEACH initiative is UHD’s biggest ever charity appeal which will help provide items for the new six-storey building currently being established next to the existing hospital.

The new state-of-the-art building is equivalent to 115 tennis courts and is known as the ‘BEACH’ for Birth, Emergency And Critical Care, and Children’s Health.

The new hospital will enhance existing units.

Bournemouth Echo:

BEACH will provide new purpose-built maternity and children’s units, an improved major emergency department, and become one of the biggest critical care units in the country.

One of the multiple fundraising items involves an additional state-of-the-art CT scanner to enable double the number of patients to be scanned, diagnosed, and treated within critical timeframes.

The funds will also be used to create a tranquil well-being garden for staff, patients, and visitors, adjacent to the new critical care unit.

Additional indoor and outdoor areas for children to relax and enjoy will also be built.

Chief executive officer at University Hospitals Dorset, Siobhan Harrington said: “There couldn’t be a bigger milestone in the history of our hospitals where we see such investment on this scale.

“By supporting the BEACH Appeal, the public will be helping to make long-lasting differences in the experience of every patient, staff member, and hospital visitor who comes through those doors.

“We can together ensure our BEACH building is one-of-a-kind and meets the needs of everybody that depends on our services in the ways we have imagined.”

Bournemouth Echo: A First look at the BEACH building.

Head of charity Debbie Anderson said: “Over the next few years, we will be calling everybody across Dorset to come together to help raise funds to enhance our hospitals more than ever before.

“To help make The BEACH Appeal a success, we’re hoping to team up with charitable trusts, local businesses, and community groups who have a shared vision to invest in the area we live and the hospitals we rely on.

“We can also support anybody who is willing to take on their fundraising challenges or activities to support us in their own way.”

UHD are calling on everyone to do what they can to make this vision for the BEACH building a reality.

To support the investment, go to uhdcharity.org.beachappeal.