1993 – 1997: First proposals for a new hospital for east London

The need for a new hospital at The Royal London in Whitechapel was identified in 1993 as part of the Government’s response to the Tomlinson Review, Making London Better. As a result, planning began for a new hospital at The Royal London, incorporating services at Barts Hospital. In summer 1995, the Department of Health approved the outline business case for these proposals. 

1997 – 2002: Developing proposals for the current new hospitals programme

In June 1997, the then Secretary of State for Health, Frank Dobson, commissioned a new review of London’s health services. The Government’s response to the review, published in February 1998, agreed with the review’s recommendation that St Bartholomew’s Hospital should remain open as a cancer and cardiac centre of excellence.

With the Government’s agreement, Barts and The London then began to develop the new hospitals programme to create a brand new hospital at The Royal London and a cancer and cardiac centre of excellence at Barts.

The outline business case for the new project, submitted to the Department of Health in November 1999, recommended that the new Royal London be procured through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), but that the Barts redevelopment should be paid for with public capital. The London Regional Office of the Department of Health approved this proposal in 2000, but in 2001, the Government recommended that the two redevelopments be combined into one PFI project. This revised proposal was formally approved by the Government and the Department of Health in February 2002 and the tendering process to identify a new private-sector partner got underway. 

2002 – 2003: Identifying a private-sector partner

Two consortia – Skanska Innisfree (Capital Hospitals), which was later joined by John Laing, and Renaissance – were approved to compete to become Barts and The London’s preferred bidder on the new hospitals programme.  Both completed a thorough and detailed bid process which culminated in the appointment of the Capital Hospitals by Barts and The London’s Trust Board in December 2003.

2004 – 2005: The town planning process

Planning applications were submitted to the City of London in March 2004 to redevelop Barts as a cancer and cardiac centre of excellence and to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in April 2004 to redevelop The Royal London as Britain’s biggest new hospital. A statutory three-month consultation process followed for both hospitals, and planning permission for Barts was granted by the City of London in September 2004.

Also in 2004, two of Barts and The London’s three new hospitals advance projects – the refurbishment of the historic Kenton and Lucas and West Wings at Barts – were completed and opened to patients. 

The consultation process for The Royal London identified design improvements to the ground level of the new hospital in Whitechapel and a revised planning application was submitted to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. In February 2005, following further consultation, a revised planning application was submitted, proposing changes to the appearance of the new hospital buildings. In March 2005, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets granted planning permission for the new Royal London Hospital.

Later in 2005, construction work was completed by Laing O’Rourke on the state-of-the-art Pathology and Pharmacy Building at The Royal London, the third of Barts and The London’s new hospitals advance schemes. Temporary workshops for the hospital’s mechanical, electrical and building staff were completed by Skanska, smoothing the way for the start of the main construction work on the new hospital itself.

December 2005 – March 2006: Reconsidering the proposals

In December 2005, the Department of Health asked Barts and The London to reconsider its new hospitals proposals, particularly the inclusion of the Barts element of the programme. An independent review of cancer and cardiac provision, commissioned by the then North East London Strategic Health Authority on behalf of the Department of Health subsequently confirmed the need and scope of the Barts proposals. In March 2006, Barts and The London reached a final agreement with the Department of Health on the new hospitals programme and the final green light was given, on condition that certain changes were made to reduce the annual cost of the scheme.

April 2006 – February 2010: Construction of new hospitals for east London and the City

Agreement with the Department of Health paved the way for Barts and The London to reach financial close with Capital Hospitals in April 2006 – the process that ensures that a contract is in force and that the money is available to start construction – and building work got underway at both Barts and The Royal London immediately.

March 2010 – August 2010: Patients move into new hospital at Barts

In March 2010, the first half of the new hospital at Barts was completed to house one of the most advanced cancer centres in Europe. Later in 2010, work began on the second half of the new hospital, which will accommodate a cardiac centre of excellence. 

December 2011  - February 2012: Moves into the new Royal London 

The moves into the new building started in December 2011 and will continue through February 2012. Patients will begin to use the new building as services move over. The new hospital will be fully open on 1 March 2012, after all services have moved to their new locations, and a range of events is planned during this month.

March 2012 – the Royal London, Europe’s newest hospital opens

Over a period of 12 weeks, the move of 110 wards, departments and more than 3000 staff and patients into the brand new state-of-the-art 17-storey edifice in Whitechapel was successfully completed.

The new Royal London’s world-class facilities will allow patients to be treated in an environment that matches the exceptional care for which the hospital has become renowned.