Work starts on Belfast children’s hospital

Belfast Trust has marked the start of construction works on the new children’s hospital on the Royal Victoria Hospital site with a sod-cutting ceremony.

The new state-of-the-art hospital will be built on the former Bostock House site.  It will have 10 floors, 155 beds, 10 theatres, and an emergency department capable of catering for up to 45,000 children per year.

Eighty per cent of the beds will be in single rooms with private ensuite facilities, and each ward will benefit from social and play spaces, with parent facilities and separate staff areas.  Construction, being undertaken by main contractor Graham, is due to last five years.

Health Minister for Northern Ireland, Mike Nesbitt said: “I am proud to join Children’s Hospital staff to mark the start of works on our new world-class hospital.  This is really welcome news for future healthcare provision for Northern Ireland and for the healthcare professionals, children and families that will use the modern facility on completion.”

Children’s Hospital Director Paula Cahalan said: “This is an exciting day for all of us in Children’s Hospital and for families across Northern Ireland.  We have really outgrown the facilities on the current site, so a new modern, technologically capable building will allow our dedicated teams to deliver excellent and innovative clinical care to future generations.”