New £1.4 million tram bridge to open on QMC’s birthday

A new bridge providing direct access to Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), part of Nottingham University Hospitals, will open to patients, visitors and staff on its 40th anniversary.

It has taken under eight months to build the 90-metres-long bridge, which is eight metres off the ground and has two rest areas and folded seating areas.

A meet and greet area for volunteers is available at the junction where the tram bridge meets the B Floor corridor to help direct patients and visitors to various points in the hospital.

The bridge will open on the day QMC marks its 40th anniversary.

Peter Homa, NUH chief executive, said: “This is an important development that will significantly improve access to QMC for patients, visitors and staff. NUH remains the only hospital in the country to be directly connected by tram, a feature which sets Nottingham apart from other cities.

"Several thousand passengers use the tram daily to get to and from our hospital. We know that the absence of a dedicated entrance linking the tram platform and the main hospital has been a source of frustration for many since the tram opened at QMC in 2015. Our team of dedicated tram volunteers have and continue to do a superb job helping passengers to find their way around our hospital. The new footbridge will provide quick and easy access to the hospital and main entrance for all tram users, which we hope will only attract more people to choose the tram to get to and from our hospitals in the future."

Jon Collins, Nottingham City Council leader, said: “QMC is the only hospital in the UK with a dedicated tram stop, which is a fantastic asset to our city. We're really pleased that the link bridge is now open to help visitors, staff and patients access the hospital more easily."

Patricia Petman, tram volunteer and patient, said: “The new bridge will make an enormous difference not only to patients and visitors (who will arrive at the centre of the hospital) but also to the tram volunteers, who have shown dedication over the last two years standing in all weathers to help visitors find the quickest and easiest ways into the hospital. I can't wait to see the look of amazement when our passengers first see how easy it is to access the hospital and how close they are to key destinations, with the opening of this bridge."

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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