Evelina London Children’s Healthcare, part of London’s Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, has submitted plans for what it dubs ‘our bigger and even better’ children's hospital to Lambeth Council for planning permission (see CGI image).
It said: “The proposals for our new hospital building, which will be joined to our existing children’s hospital building, will enable us to offer more life-changing care and treatment to the children and young people that need it. The new development will cut waiting times, and bring together more services in one place, improving the experience and outcomes for patients. It will also provide space to expand specialist heart and lung services as, subject to consultation, children’s services will move from Royal Brompton Hospital to an expanded Evelina London in around six years’ time.
Evelina London Children’s Healthcare says that since its award-winning children’s hospital opened in 2005, the number of children and young people who come to it has more than doubled, while the number with complex needs requiring specialist care ‘continues to grow’.
The new building is expected to include:
- Around 100 beds, and up to 20 additional critical care beds.
- A new suite of operating theatres and procedure rooms.
- Specialist imaging facilities
- More spaces for patients and families to relax, including a roof terrace.
The healthcare provider added: “Our building will be bright, welcoming, and use the latest technology to provide the right care for every patient. Spaces will be flexible so that they can adapt to the changing needs of patients and families, as well as services, in the future.”
Evelina London Children’s Healthcare says it has been working closely with development partner, Linkcity, and architects, Hawkins Brown, ‘to involve Evelina London staff, patients, families, and people in our local communities’ to inform plans for the new building. This liaison has included online webinars, sharing the latest drawings and images of the proposals, and gathering feedback and comments to ‘shape the final design’.
Marian Ridley, director of Evelina London (pictured), said: “Our expansion is vital to meet the growing demand for our specialist care. A bigger hospital will mean we can meet the needs of the sickest children with the most complex conditions from across the country.”
The proposals will be delivered by building contractor, Bouygues UK, which previously worked on the University College London Hospital proton beam therapy centre.
