Secretary of State Views Plans for New Alder Hey Hospital

Thursday 28th July, 2011.

Andrew Lansley outside Alder Hey Children's Hospital Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley visited Alder Hey hospital today to see the ‎plans for the new Children’s Health Park.

Secretary of State Andrew Lansley talks to local children outside Alder Hey's main entrance (left)

Two consortia, Acorn and Balfour Beatty, are currently working with the Trust to develop their design, ‎before a preferred bidder is appointed in December 2011. Building work is scheduled ‎to begin next year with the new Health Park due for completion in 2015. ‎

Having seen both bids Mr Lansley commented:‎
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"Both designs are visionary. Children have also had a huge say in what ‎the hospital should look like and how it should work. There is also a strong ‎commitment, not just to treatment, but to the wellbeing of children and young ‎people, with the outside space being just as important as the hospital itself. ‎

The new Children’s Health Park will be the only purpose built state of the art hospital in a parkland ‎setting in Europe. This means that Alder Hey is more than just a place where ‎children come to be treated when they are unwell.‎

Andrew Lansley with CHP members

Chair of Alder Hey, Sir David Henshaw (left), Louise Shepherd and Secretary of State Andrew Lansley (right) meet with local children to discuss the new Children's Health Park plans.

Chair of Alder Hey, Sir David Henshaw said, “The Children’s Health Park is much ‎more than just a building . The Children and Young People’s Forum has worked with ‎both bidders to ensure that it’s a place where children and young people want to ‎come, where they feel safe and actively supported to get better quickly with first class care in a supported environment. Alder Hey is England’s first public health ‎promoting hospital accredited by the World Health Organisation and the parkland ‎setting allows us to continue this journey”.‎

“It will be the most interactive hospital in the country. It will contain everything children and young people need to continue with school work and interact with friends whilst in hospital”.

Stephen Twigg MP for Liverpool West Derby, said: “It will be a fantastic building, that will be iconic and something for Liverpool to be proud of, it will also be the most energy efficient hospital within the country. Importantly, when construction begins, both bidders have put in place schemes that will help to boost the local economy and provide jobs to local people.”

Link to Alder Hey's Official YouTube Channel