Demolition begins on Leeds General Infirmary for two new Hospitals of the Future

The start of the development of two new hospital buildings at Leeds General Infirmary has begun today with the demolition of an existing building.

This marks the start of the Hospitals of the Future project.

The new hospitals will deliver a range of adult health services and be the new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital.

The building will be designed to offer patients modern, individual healthcare based on advanced treatments, technologies, innovation and research.

--> "World class" £450million plansThe new hospital buildings are being developed on the site of the Old Nurses’ Home at Leeds General Infirmary as this building is old and doesn't meet the standards needed for modern healthcare.

Julian Hartley, chief executive at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Leeds’ St James’ and LGI hospitals, said: “This is a historic development in the future of patient care in Leeds and the wider region.

“This investment will enable the Trust to take a huge leap forward in how it delivers care for patients from Leeds and beyond.

“The benefits of this funding will be far-reaching. Leeds is a renowned centre for specialist services, providing treatment and care for patients from across the region, the North of England in in some instances, the rest of the UK.

“We will be able to develop healthcare based on advanced medical and digital technologies, innovation and research.”

--> Delight as two new hospitals given go aheadLeeds Teaching Hospitals Trust is one of six across the country to be given a share of £2.7billion by the government, as part of the initial wave of its Health Infrastructure Plan.

The programme is designed to modernise hospital buildings and invest in new diagnostics and technology.

The city centre’s new hospital buildings will also form part of a planned Innovation District in Leeds.

A vision first set out by Leeds City Council following a report in 2016, it was proposed to cover the main city centre campuses of the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University.

--> Plans were revealed in 2018 for the developmentThis five-year project is a major development of more than 94,000metres squared in the city centre.

According to an initial green book economic impact assessment, the new hospital development will have the potential to deliver £3.3 billion Gross Value Added benefits and an additional 3,500 jobs for Leeds and the wider region.

The demolition comes as Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has issued notices seeking talented architects and design teams to work on the development of the two hospitals.

Julian Hartley, Chief Executive, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust explains: “This will be a flagship hospital project, not just for Leeds but also for the UK.

"We need architectural partners that can rise to the challenge of this exciting, complex design brief and work with us to deliver world-class hospitals that will transform the future of healthcare for patients from Leeds, the wider region and beyond for years to come.”

The Chair of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Dame Linda Pollard DBE DL LLD said: “Hospitals of the Future is an exceptional project. It will not only deliver state of the art hospital facilities for our patients and staff but has the potential to make a significant impact on the future economic growth and development of Leeds city and the region.”

“This new build, and the give hectares of wider estate released for development will make a major contribution to the vision for an Innovation District in Leeds.”