New £650m Royal London Hospital opens in Whitechapel

Some 52,000 pieces of furniture have been moved into the hospital

London's newest hospital has opened its doors for the first time.

The £650m Royal London Hospital, in Whitechapel, east London, contains 110 wards previously housed in facilities dating from the 18th Century.

The hospital occupies an area equivalent to 40 football pitches, with the level of diagnostic care doubled.

Its chief executive said it was needed because it served a community with some of the stiffest health challenges anywhere in the developed world.

Peter Morris said: "I am incredibly proud of what our staff have achieved in reaching today's milestone, which marks a new and exciting chapter in the Royal London's history.

"The move into our new hospital, which for the first time brings our clinical teams together under one roof, gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide a health legacy to a community with some of the most challenging health needs anywhere in the developed world."

More than 40% of the ward accommodation will be provided in single rooms with en-suite facilities.

The remainder will be in four-bedded bays.

Patient accommodation is on the outside of the building to maximise light, with views over the City of London and Canary Wharf, a hospital spokeswoman said.

75,000 bed sheets

The 26 operating theatres are a third larger than their predecessors.

The new hospital will also be home to London's air ambulance.

The first moves into the new Royal London began in December 2011, with staff calling it one of the most complex hospital moves ever undertaken.

The new hospital contains 110 wards and departments

Over a period of 12 weeks, more than 3,000 staff and patients were moved into the 17-storey edifice.

Some 52,000 pieces of new furniture and equipment were installed in the new hospital, along with more than 1,000 toilets.

More than 12,000 keys have been cut, and 75,000 bed sheets, 28,000 towels and 3,000 new pillows delivered for the first patients.

In December, five surgeons resigned from the old Royal London Hospital amid claims patients had been "left with life-changing injuries" because of a lack of resources.

One of the surgeons at the Royal London Hospital, in Whitechapel, cited a "dangerous" shortage of surgical facilities.

At the time hospital bosses suggested bigger operating theatres at the new hospital would help them address the issues.