Cambridge Children's Hospital site work to begin

The gardens will be landscaped to provide young people with a place to relax

Preparation work on the site of the first children's hospital in the East of England is due to begin next year.

Cambridge Children Hospital will be built opposite The Rosie maternity hospital in Cambridge and will care for children from Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

The government has approved its outline business case.

Work is due to start on the site early next year.

This will include any archaeological excavations required.

Funding gap

However, the project's full business case still needs to be completed and a construction partner found.

There will be a final check on if there is enough funding to complete the project in April 2024.

The government committed £100m to Cambridge Children's Hospital in 2018 and project leaders say it is on track to meet its target of an additional £100m through philanthropy and fundraising.

However in May, a £184m funding gap was reported.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Final funding allocations for schemes are only confirmed once their full business case has been reviewed and agreed, including by HM Treasury.

The new hospital will be the first to combine treatment for both physical and mental health.

All rooms will be individual to prevent infection

Researchers from the University of Cambridge will be based at the building with the aim of detecting and preventing childhood illness.

Prof David Rowitch, the hospital's research lead, said: "Cambridge Children's Hospital will use cutting-edge innovations in genomic science to detect origins of physical and mental health conditions and develop a new model of preventive medicine in paediatrics.

"Together we can detect childhood disease early or prevent it altogether, personalise health care and deliver it closer to home."

The hospital is being co-designed with the help of young people.

Sarah Cobb, 19, from near Cambridge, has multiple disabilities and is visually impaired. She has been involved in the project for a number of years.

"This hospital means so much to me and will make such a difference to the mental and physical health of children and young people," she said.

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