After many years in the pipeline, work to make Cambridge Children's Hospital a reality has reached a new milestone as the diggers move in to start preparing the site for construction next year.
Pre-construction works are now underway for the East of England’s first specialist children’s hospital.
R G Carter has been appointed to deliver the pre-construction works, which includes connecting services to the site, creating access points and excavating the land ready for an archaeological dig.
Opposite the Rosie Maternity Hospital, the plot is on the corner of Robinson Way and Dame Mary Archer Way on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Today, Andrew Stephenson, Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care, visited the site with members of the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project team. This followed a round table discussion about progress on the project, the vision of Cambridge Children's Hospital and, in particular, the future of children's cancer research and care.
The project was given planning permission in March 2022, with the condition that meaningful work must begin within two years. In October 2023, the Outline Business Case for the hospital was approved in principle and the project will tender for a construction partner for the hospital later this year.
In December, it was announced that the fundraising campaign had crossed the halfway mark with £56 million in gifts and pledges secured.
Cambridge Children’s Hospital will be unique in its vision to treat mental health and physical health together, under one roof, alongside world-leading research.
The main construction of the 35,000 sq m hospital, which includes a 5000 sq m research institute, starts in 2025 with the building expected to open in late 2028.
Spread over five floors, the hospital will also include 108 inpatient beds, 16 paediatric intensive care beds, 42 day-case beds, seven operating theatres, imaging and diagnostics, and a hospital school. Hundreds of people have been involved in getting the project to this stage, including NHS staff, children and families around the region.
You can follow our journey here
