St Bart’s and the Royal get go-ahead for redevelopment

Royal London Hospital and St Bartholomew’s are to get a massive redevelopment after the government finally gave the go-ahead.

The plans will see the two hospitals form the largest A&E unit in Europe, as well as new cancer and cardiac facilities for patients in East London and the Thames Valley.

The hospitals’ redevelopment will cost the NHS ?1 billion, which the government claims is ?20 million a year less than original proposals had aimed to spend. However, patient groups claimed that delays in planning had cost the project ?35 million.

“As a result of all the hard work by the trust and its partners, we have now developed plans which will make a real difference to the historic under-investment in East London’s hospitals,” said health secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Duncan Diamond, a consultant cardiologist at Barts, told the Guardian: “We came very, very close to losing the whole PFI scheme, so thank goodness we have got there in the end.”

However, he criticised the government’s plans for leaving three floors unused, saying they will cost the trust in maintenance and heating.

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