Plans for a huge new building that would make Evelina London Children’s Hospital a “world-leading centre of life-changing care” have been approved.
The 200-foot building will have space for about 100 beds, as well as up to twenty additional critical care beds, a new suite of operating theatres and procedure rooms, specialist imaging facilities, and more spaces for patients and families to relax, including a roof terrace.
The plans for the new building, which will be joined to the existing centre by St Thomas’ Hospital near Waterloo, were approved by Lambeth Council on Tuesday night (October 5). The new building will open in 2027.
The approval comes despite concerns raised by Historic England and Westminster Council that the tower would affect views of Parliament and other nearby historic sites.
Marian Ridley, director of Evelina London, said: “This is a huge step for us – it will allow us to continue with our exciting plans to grow the hospital into a world-leading centre of life-changing care for even more children, young people and their families.
“Without increasing our capacity, a significant proportion of children and young people would not be able to access specialist care, leading to delays to treatment, increased use of emergency care, and the potential for worse quality of life and long term outcomes.
“We are therefore very grateful to the council for their support, alongside our local community, patients and families who we consulted throughout the planning process.”
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the hospital, are now looking for contractors to carry out the building work.
Professor Ian Abbs, chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our ambitious plan to expand Evelina London will make it one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals, and enable us to provide exceptional care to many more children and young people.
“This is just the beginning of an exciting journey for us, and we will continue to put patients and families at the heart of what we do.”
Evelina London was opened in 2005 and the amount of children staff treat has more than doubled in the sixteen years since then.
A new day surgery centre, next to the existing hospital building, is already being built and is due to open next year. It will provide family-friendly space that offers everything children and young people need for surgery in one place, including pre-surgery checks, recovery, and preparation to return home.