Manufacturing firm based in Cramlington wins contract to build operating theatre block for hospital in Birmingham

Manufacturing company Merit has won the contract for the £25m first-of-its-kind project to increase the capacity at Solihull Hospital with six new operating theatres, allowing for an estimated extra 15,000 treatments per year.

The firm will build 81% of the facility at its Cramlington base and manufacturing will take place in parallel with on site assembly, meaning only 10 months of onsite work is required and the project could be completed as early as May 2024.

Tony Wells, CEO of Merit, said: “This is the first NHS theatre we will be delivering and is another milestone in our own progress and development, which has seen Merit disrupt the traditional construction approach.

“We now have an array of high-profile, technically complex projects which we are delivering more quickly, more efficiently, and, crucially, more sustainably.”