BDP-designed £87m surgical centre opens at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton

Architecture practice BDP has announced the opening of its new Surgical Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, a building Somerset NHS Foundation Trust values at £87m and which was built by Kier.

BDP said the centre, the latest phase of the Somerset campus redevelopment, brings together six endoscopy rooms, eight operating theatres, 22 critical care beds, recovery areas and clinical support facilities. Two of the theatres are described by BDP as interventional radiology theatres; the trust calls them hybrid operating theatres, usable for both surgery and interventional radiology.

The trust, which has named the building the King's Building, announced its opening on 1 September 2026 and said patients across Somerset would get faster access to surgery.

Nick Durham, Architect Director at BDP, said: "Working on the campus for nearly 20 years has given us a detailed understanding of its buildings, infrastructure and clinical needs."

The design

BDP said the centre replaces services previously run from outdated accommodation across the campus, including facilities dating back to the Second World War. According to the trust, the theatres and critical care unit being replaced date from the period when the site was a temporary casualty evacuation hospital for the D-Day landings.

The practice said the design separates public, clinical and facilities-management circulation to support patient privacy, infection control and safe movement through the building. It also sought to minimise underground services diversions, with structural and civil engineering solutions developed around existing infrastructure on a tight site where the hospital had to keep operating throughout the works.

The trust said all 22 critical care beds are specified for level 2 and 3 patients, and that the intensive care unit has single ensuite rooms, more natural light and access to outdoor space. A central courtyard was supported by the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust NHS Charity.

David Shannon, the trust's director of strategy and digital development, said the building "gives us additional capacity, creates a far better experience for patients".

The programme

The trust announced on 24 July 2023 that construction had started on the main build. Preparatory works before that included a new sterile services centre, a relocated superficial x-ray department and moving the main hospital kitchen. Kier said at the time it had worked with the trust for over five years on the hospital's Musgrove 2030 plan.

The roof went on in January 2024, with topping-out work supervised by Kier, the trust said.

The opening date moved during construction. In July 2023 the trust said it was counting down to opening in early summer 2025; in October 2024 it expected the centre to open to patients towards the end of 2025; the trust then announced the opening on 1 September 2026. None of the trust's updates gives a reason for the change.

BDP said its relationship with Musgrove Park has lasted nearly two decades, working with the trust, WSP and project partners under a long-term masterplan. The practice said the building creates opportunities for future phases, including women's, children's and emergency care facilities.

What happens next

Separately, the trust has said its New Hospital Programme scheme would replace outdated women's (including maternity), children's and elective surgical facilities at the hospital.

In January 2025, following the government's review of the programme, the trust said development of the scheme would pause until 2030/1, with construction not beginning until 2033 to 2035, a delay of at least another five years. Peter Lewis, the trust's chief executive, described the delay as a bitter blow.

The Department of Health and Social Care's implementation plan said the New Hospital Programme would be delivered through consecutive waves of investment, and gives a cost estimate of £501m to £1bn for the Musgrove Park scheme.