Bristol's Southmead Hospital to retain name

The first departments will move into the Brunel building in mid May, with the hospital due to be fully open by May 28 2014

Southmead Hospital in Bristol is to retain its name following a public vote, health bosses have revealed.

The £430m new site will contain centres for maternity, pathology and breast care - along with Accident and Emergency services currently based at Frenchay Hospital.

The official name - Southmead Hospital Bristol - won in a vote against other suggestions, including Bristol Brunel.

The announcement was made exactly a year ahead of the new building opening.

The decision was taken to keep the hospital site as Southmead Hospital, but to include the word Bristol in its title.

More than 3,700 people took part in the vote.

'Centre of excellence'

A spokesman said that it was in recognition of the "significant increase" in the number of services provided, with staff and teams moving from Frenchay Hospital.

The new hospital building will be called Brunel - after Bristol engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Marie-Noelle Orzel, chief executive of North Bristol NHS Trust, said: "The Brunel building really will be a centre of excellence with state-of-the-art facilities supported on site by superb existing services such as maternity, pathology and breast care.

"On behalf of the trust I would like to thank everyone for giving their suggestions to name the site and the building."

The trust will take ownership of the building in March next year, with the first patients moving into the building in mid-May.

Project directors said they are confident the hospital will then be fully open by 28 May.