Royal Liverpool University Hospital

Healthcare for a City Region
Liverpool, UK
Royal Liverpool University Hospital

The new Royal Liverpool University Hospital opened to patients in October 2022, providing the people of the Liverpool City Region with a state-of-the-art hospital.

The Laing O’Rourke led delivery team handed the hospital to Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) on 28 September, which allowed a controlled, phased move to take place over 24 days. On 20 October, the A&E department was successfully relocated into the new building marking successful completion of the move.

The 640-bed hospital is the biggest in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms. It has 18 operating theatres, for inpatient and day-case surgery and 40 critical care beds for patients in the intensive care and high dependency units. In addition, a large clinical research facility will place LUHFT as a national and international leader in clinical trials and studies.

The hospital is run by Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital and Liverpool University Dental Hospital.

The power of experience

The new Royal has been delivered by a world-leading team of healthcare experts including construction partner, Laing O’Rourke working in collaboration with project manager, Gleeds, architects NBBJ and HKS; with structural engineering support from Arup and MEP engineering support from Hoare Lea. Aecom provided clerk of works services. Laing O’Rourke was appointed as delivery partner to lead the completion of the new Royal in 2018, following the collapse of Carillion.

Since appointment, the experienced healthcare project team maintained a focus on delivering a hospital that would serve the people of Liverpool City Region.

Laing O’Rourke’s team was led by project director Andy Thomson who has been involved in the successful delivery of four major acute hospitals throughout the UK, including Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, as well as Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and Forth Valley Royal Hospital, both in Scotland. When the hospital opened to patients, Andy said:

“It has been humbling to see and hear the positive reactions of doctors, nurses and patients as they have completed their move into the new hospital.

“I would like to thank the Trust, our project team, and suppliers all of whom pulled together through challenging circumstances, including throughout the pressures of covid, to maintain a resilient focus on delivering an outstanding hospital. As we celebrate the opening of the new Royal I watch with pride as a hospital building becomes a leading healthcare facility that will enable the NHS to care for thousands of people.”

Paul Fitzpatrick, Director of Estates and Facilities at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The new Royal is for the people of Liverpool and the city region and we are so proud that we can now give our patients, staff and local communities the long-awaited hospital they deserve.

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The response from staff, patients and visitors to the new environment has been overwhelmingly positive and is a real tribute to the collaborative approach by our construction partners.

Paul Fitzpatrick Director of Estates and Facilities at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Part of the biggest hospital building programme in a generation

As the hospital began moving patient services into the new building, Health Minister Nick Markham commented:

“Not only will this hospital improve care for patients across the city, staff will also be able to access specialist medical equipment and a world-leading research facility.

“We are committed to improving health infrastructure across the country and this is part of the biggest hospital building programme in a generation, which we will deliver by 2030.”

Sitting within the heart of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter, and part of Merseyside’s healthcare investment programme, the new hospital also features three link bridges connecting the building to the adjacent Clatterbridge Cancer Centre Liverpool, also delivered by a Laing O’Rourke led team in 2020.

The new Royal replaces the existing 1970s adjacent facility.

640

single en-suite bedrooms

18

operating theatres

40

critical care beds

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Photographs © Matt Livey