A traditional topping-out ceremony has been held to mark a milestone in the construction of a new theatre building at Poole Hospital.
Contractor, Integrated Health Projects (IHP), an alliance between VINCI Construction and Sir Robert McAlpine, invited local dignitaries and staff from University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust to the event, which saw a bagpiper lead guests to the top level of the building where a pouring of stone took place to ceremonially complete the roof.
An evergreen bough was then nailed to the structure – a tradition which dates back to Roman times and helps to protect buildings from evil spirits.
This was followed by the symbolic exchange of a tankard ‘for a job well done’.
The new theatre building is an extension to the existing hospital comprising of a five-storey tower and incorporating an open-plan, four-table ‘barn’ theatre where each patient is treated in a dedicated space with an ultra-clean air canopy over each station.
