Work has commenced on the second floor of the main building, which will provide new, state-of-the-art dental and ophthalmology facilities, opening end 2019. The highly specialised orthodontic service for adults and children includes oral and maxillofacial, restorative dentistry and will have 14 dental chairs.
The Ophthalmology service diagnose and provide medical and surgical treatment for a wide range of eye conditions in adults, young people and children. These include: injuries, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and cataracts.
As part of the visit there was a tour of Acorns, a modern, contemporary space providing a range of children’s services including CAMHS, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and community children’s nursing.
Matthew said: "These facilities are part of our multi-million pound investment in Queen Mary's to deliver a thriving community hub for local health services, it's great to be able to visit the site and see the work that's underway to bring our plans to life. The hospital is such an asset for local people."
The Queen's Hospital was opened in 1917 and initially provided pioneering plastic surgery to First World War soldiers. It was renamed Queen Mary's Hospital in 1930 and in 1974 the new hospital was opened on the current site.
Today, services at Queen Mary’s hospital are run by a number of renowned healthcare organisations including: