Ten years ago today, on a snowy, very icy day the first patients moved to the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital (TWH). The first wards to open were Maternity and Paediatrics, along with Organisational Development, moving in to the Green Zone.

Following an investment by Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells Trust (MTW) of £230million when complete the new hospital provided dedicated centres across two sites and over 500 beds, including Accident & Emergency.  It was the first NHS hospital to provide every inpatient with their own room,   including en-suite facilities and ceiling to floor windows overlooking the surrounding woodland.

Despite TWH still being mostly a building site in January 2011 a survey of patients showed that 93% felt the move process was very good. The League of Friends donated flat screen TVs so each room had a TV. The new Maternity Centre welcomed its first baby the same month and was such a success that by March the Trust had to ask women not to change from their local hospital until September.

John Weeks, Director of Emergency Planning & Communications recalls “Unexpected December snow caused some delays but it opened on time on a freezing cold day. Phase 1 involved moving services from the old Victorian buildings at Pembury to the new hospital, so that demolition work could begin in order to open the rest of the site in September 2011.”

Jeanette Rooke, who had co-ordinated the move and migration said at the time “I didn’t really see the move but as I walked on to the Paediatric Ward and saw a little boy in his pyjamas heading to his single room to go to bed – for me that’s what it is all about. This was it – patients were finally in and the hard work had paid off.”

Today, the hospital is seen nationally as an example of best practice in design of patient-safe facilities and has attracted widespread international interest.  The Trust provides general hospital services and some areas of complex care to around 500,000 people living in the south part of West Kent and the north part of East Sussex.