Construction work is expected to begin early next year on the first specialist children’s hospital for the East of England, after the Cambridge Children's Hospital has been given the green light to proceed to the final stage of its business case development.

The project had its Outline Business Case approved in principle by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care in late September.  Subject to a review of the Project’s capital funding in April 2024, work can now commence on the Full Business Case for the Project.

The hospital, which was awarded planning permission in March 2022, is being built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, but will care for children and young people across the whole of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Dr Rob Heuschkel, Cambridge Children’s Hospital Clinical Lead for Physical Health said: 

“This is fantastic news for children across the East of England – the only region without a specialist children’s hospital.

“We know there is widespread support across the East of England for this Hospital – from children and their families to our regional colleagues and our regional MPs. Now is the time for us to all work together to turn our plans into reality. I can’t wait to get started on the next stage of this Project.”

The government committed £100m to Cambridge Children’s Hospital in 2018, under the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership scheme, and the project is on track to meet its target of an additional £100m of philanthropy and fundraising.

Image Credit: CUH NHST