ALDER HEY and construction company Morgan Sindall are celebrating a major milestone in the development of a new facility set to transform care for children and young people.
A new building which will be home to a dedicated surgical NICU and expanded emergency care facilities is now structurally complete and set to open at Alder Hey in 2026.
The new purpose-built facility is the latest addition to Alder Hey’s growing healthcare campus as part of its overarching commitment to provide the very best care to children and young people now and in the future.
To support the Hospital in delivering leading edge urgent care and emergency services, an Emergency Floor Expansion on the ground floor of the new building will bring together the skills and expertise of paediatricians, emergency care clinicians, advance clinical practitioners, primary care and family support workers. This includes a 16-bed assessment unit, a co-located Urgent Treatment Centre and a purpose-built Same Day Emergency Care facility.
Through the national Urgent and Emergency Care Scheme, which is linked to individual Trust performance, Alder Hey was awarded £9m of capital expenditure limit over the last two years which has enabled the Trust to improve and expand emergency care facilities, provide faster care and reduce A&E waiting times. This investment is a commitment to action backed by NHS leaders at all levels and the shared determination to make real and meaningful improvements that benefit both patients and staff. Alder Hey Children’s Charity has committed a further £1m towards the project.
Above this will be a new surgical NICU where newborn babies and their families will be cared for by specialist staff including consultant neonatologists, consultant neonatal surgeons, advanced nurse practitioners and specialist neonatal nurses.
A surgical NICU on the Alder Hey site highlights the ambitions of Alder Hey’s collaboration with Liverpool Women’s Hospital through the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership. Together the two trusts are bringing together the highest standards of neonatal, surgical, and nursing expertise while ensuring that neonatal care is delivered within the best possible environment. The new NICU will provide safer services as the smallest and sickest babies requiring surgery will no longer have to be transferred between Alder Hey and Liverpool Women’s Hospital for their care.
Alder Hey Children’s Charity has provided over £3m in funding to provide enhancements and equipment to enable the Hospital to create a truly world-class surgical neonatal intensive care unit.
John Grinnell, chief executive at Alder Hey said: “This marks a major milestone in our journey to transform care for children, young people, and families across Liverpool and beyond. I am so pleased to see how well this complex build is taking shape which is testament to the professionalism and collaboration of everyone involved. This is more than a building – it’s a symbol of our ambition, our partnerships, and our belief in a better future for every child.”
