Move to new Royal Liverpool Hospital set to begin in September

It comes after a critical milestone in the project was reached as the Trust took partial possession of the building from construction partners Laing O’Rourke on 11 July. This is an important step forward which allows the Trust to start the final phase of work to prepare for moving patients and staff across to the new hospital.

The Trust will begin its 24-day move plan that will see staff, patients and services move across to the new building in a phased approach, with the move complete by 21 October 2022.

James Sumner, Chief Executive at LUHFT, said: “The new hospital marks the beginning of a new era of healthcare in the city, when the people of Liverpool will finally have the hospital and facilities that they deserve.

“Today represents a real milestone in the life of Liverpool University Hospitals and in the construction of the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital. I’m delighted that we have taken possession of the building from our construction partners Laing O’Rourke.

“We are also now formally confirming Wednesday 28 September 2022 will be the day we begin moving into the new hospital.

“For everyone involved - our patients and their families, colleagues and the public across the Liverpool City Region - this is a fantastic day. After a lot of anticipation, we are now able to say that we will be moving to the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

“I want to thank everyone involved for the dedication and hard work involved in getting the project to this point. Now, we can look forward with great excitement to opening the doors on a new hospital that the people and the city of Liverpool deserve.”

This announcement reflects a busy period of activity with everything from specialist medical equipment, such as multi-million pound scanners, to office supplies, desks and PCs being installed in the new hospital.

The new Royal plays an important part in changing the way healthcare services are delivered across the city and improving the quality and standards of care for patients.
In addition to the move, there are proposals to move five services between the Royal and Aintree University Hospital, also run by LUHFT, which are subject to public consultation, along with a significant investment programme at Aintree University Hospital to upgrade the facilities on this site too.

Sue Musson, Chair of LUHFT, said: “We know this hospital is long-awaited. I would like to thank our teams for the phenomenal work they have done to reach this point. Our focus is on planning the safe move into the new Royal. It will be so rewarding when we are finally able to welcome patients and visitors to this fabulous new facility later this year.”

Michelle Jones, Ward Manager in Critical Care at the Royal, spoke about her excitement ahead of the move to the new hospital. She said: “At the moment in Critical Care we have three separate units across three floors. Once we move into the new Royal, we’re going to be located together, which is exciting for us as a team and fantastic for our patients. It means the patient can stay in the same room and the team caring for them can change, depending on the patient’s needs. Being in one place means we can up-skill our staff, so we have more staff able to care for the most seriously unwell patients in critical care, which again is a great benefit for our patients.”

To support the transition to the new hospital, significant investment is being made across all sites within the Trust, including a £52m investment package at Aintree University hospital, which includes a £16m investment to improve the Emergency Department as well as the development of hybrid operating theatres, which will support the delivery of specialist surgical services.

Construction teams will remain on site at the Royal into 2023 to complete internal and external works, particularly the new podium main entrance drop-off, which will allow easier access for patients and visitors. In addition, the final two of three link bridges will be installed to link the new Royal with Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, creating swift access to specialist treatment for patients at both sites. The first link bridge was installed in June.