25 January 2012

Moves into the new state-of-the-art hospital at The Royal London continued over the Christmas and New Year period.

In total, more than 3,000 staff members will relocate into the new hospital from buildings across The Royal London site and St Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts).

The first moves into the new hospital got underway on 6 December 2011 and moves will continue until 28 February 2012. The new hospital fully opens on 1 March 2012 and a series of arts and community involvement events will be held during this month to celebrate.

The new hospital will transform the experience of patients, staff and visitors, with outstanding new facilities and an exceptional environment for the delivery of patient care.  London’s leading trauma and emergency care centre moved in on 14 December and by the end of February the new hospital will include one of Europe’s largest renal services and a dedicated Women’s Centre and Children’s Hospital.

What has already moved into the new building

• Adult medical wards
• Adult theatres
  • Ambulatory Care and Diagnosis Unit (ACAD) – read more on this below
  • Emergency Department, including the Urgent Care Centre and London’s Air Ambulance
  • Endoscopy
  • Haematology Day Unit
  • Imaging
  • Inpatient Pharmacy
  • Ophthalmology
  • Outpatients – including Dermatology, Cardiac and ECG, the Fracture Clinic, Lung Function, Neurophysiology and Therapies.

Ambulatory Care and Diagnosis Unit (ACAD)

The new ring-fenced elective facility for daycare and short-stay surgery, the ACAD, opened on 9 January. The unit is for elective surgical day case patients and those needing admission for up to 48 hours. The provision of a dedicated ACAD is an important part of the Trust’s strategy for treating patients in separate areas based on acuity and length of stay.

Moves into the new hospital restart on Wednesday 8 February

Following the move of the Inpatient Pharmacy on 14 January, a planned break in clinical moves is now taking place until 8 February.

During this break, the second part of the building, which has now been handed over to the Trust from our construction partners Skanska, is being further prepared for use and training and orientation for staff moving in during February will commence. 

Further moves taking place in February include surgical wards, Women and Children's Services, as well as Renal and Urology services.

Multifaith Chaplaincy and Patient Support Services

On 26 January, the Multifaith Chaplaincy will open in the heart of the new building. The centre provides a space for patients, visitors and staff who wish to pray or seek a quiet space for reflection. It includes the chapel, Jewish community room and male and female Muslim prayer rooms.

Patient support services will be located next to the Multifaith Chaplaincy and include cashiers and fares, the bereavement office and the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).  

Important information on service changes linked to the moves

As a result of the moves into the new hospital building, there have been a number of changes to services, including:

• Closure of the Walk-in Centre – the Walk-in Centre building closed on Wednesday 14 December. Physiotherapy and dressing clinic services previously provided by the centre will be provided through the Trust's community health services. Urgent care of patients will continue in the new building’s Emergency Department and Urgent Care Centre.
• New Emergency Dental Service location – the Emergency Dental Service is now located in the Dental Hospital on New Road. The entrance to the Emergency Dental Service is on Newark Street. The service can be contacted by phone on 020 7377 7031.

More information

A timetable of the main moves is provided in the New Hospital Guide for Primary Care Clinicians which you can download in pdf format from the Trust website at New Royal London Hospital Guide for Primary Care Clinicians.

The guide has been produced to familiarise GPs and other referrers with the new Royal London Hospital and help you respond to any questions you may receive from your patients. It contains details about the move into the new hospital, key services in the new building, making referrals into the new hospital and essential information you need to know about the new building.

Printed copies of the guide have also been sent out to GP practices in East London and The City and Outer Northeast London. If you would like to order further copies, please email your request with your name and full postal address to newhospitals@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

We are also planning tours of the new hospital for GPs who would like to see the new facilities. More information on these will be published shortly.