asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the status of the tender for the works project to develop the layout of the military-managed ward at the National Health Service Selly Oak Hospital; and what estimate they have made of the completion date for the project. [HL4011]

A contract for this works project was awarded by the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHBFT) in late April. Work started on 14 May and progress has been monitored by UHBFT and staff at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine. I am advised that the project will be completed shortly. The main change to the configuration of the ward will be the partitioning off of two six-bedded bays and two isolation rooms. Military patients will be nursed together in that part of the ward when it is clinically appropriate to do so.