Alder Hey and construction company Morgan Sindall are celebrating a major milestone in the development of a new facility set to transform care for children and young people.
A new building which will be home to a dedicated surgical NICU and expanded emergency care facilities is now structurally complete and set to open at Alder Hey in 2026.
The new purpose-built facility is the latest addition to Alder Hey’s growing healthcare campus as part of its overarching commitment to provide the very best care to children and young people now and in the future.
To support the Hospital in delivering leading edge urgent care and emergency services, an Emergency Floor Expansion on the ground floor of the new building will bring together the skills and expertise of paediatricians, emergency care clinicians, advance clinical practitioners, primary care and family support workers. This includes a 16-bed assessment unit, a co-located Urgent Treatment Centre and a purpose-built Same Day Emergency Care facility.
Through the national Urgent and Emergency Care Scheme, which is linked to individual Trust performance, Alder Hey was awarded £9m of capital expenditure limit over the last two years which has enabled the Trust to improve and expand emergency care facilities, provide faster care and reduce A&E waiting times. This investment is a commitment to action backed by NHS leaders at all levels and the shared determination to make real and meaningful improvements that benefit both patients and staff. Alder Hey Children’s Charity has committed a further £1m towards the project.
“Keeping families together is crucial in the early stages of a baby’s life and the new Unit will be the first of its kind in the country to provide family integrated care in single cot rooms with en-suite parent bedrooms attached.”
Dr Alison Bedford Russell, Clinical co-Director of the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership
Above this will be a new surgical NICU where newborn babies and their families will be cared for by specialist staff including consultant neonatologists, consultant neonatal surgeons, advanced nurse practitioners and specialist neonatal nurses.
A surgical NICU on the Alder Hey site highlights the ambitions of Alder Hey’s collaboration with Liverpool Women’s Hospital through the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership. Together the two trusts are bringing together the highest standards of neonatal, surgical, and nursing expertise while ensuring that neonatal care is delivered within the best possible environment. The new NICU will provide safer services as the smallest and sickest babies requiring surgery will no longer have to be transferred between Alder Hey and Liverpool Women’s Hospital for their care.
Alder Hey Children’s Charity has provided over £3m in funding to provide enhancements and equipment to enable the Hospital to create a truly world-class surgical neonatal intensive care unit.
During a special event, staff from Alder Hey joined colleagues from Liverpool Women’s Hospital, Alder Hey Children’s Charity and others involved in the project including contractors from Morgan Sindall to celebrate the progress made on the new development.
Dr Bimal Mehta, Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, explained: “The number of children and their families who need urgent care across the country continues to grow and this is reflected by the pressures we are seeing within our Emergency Department. There are some children and young people who attend who do not require immediate emergency care so we needed to create a new type of service that would be more appropriate. We are really excited about this new facility which will enable us to streamline emergency care, allowing children and young people to be seen more quickly by the right clinical team to deal with their problem. By reducing waiting times and length of stay, we can greatly improve the experience of those accessing our services. At the same time, we will be able to reduce pressure on our emergency services, who can focus on delivering the very best emergency and trauma care.”
Dr Alison Bedford Russell, Clinical co-Director of the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership highlighted how vital the new surgical NICU will be for newborn babies in the region:
“Through the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership, specialist neonatal staff working across Alder Hey and the Liverpool Women’s are committed to working with all specialists across Alder Hey to provide world class neonatal services.
“Keeping families together is crucial in the early stages of a baby’s life and the new Unit will be the first of its kind in the country to provide family integrated care in single cot rooms with en-suite parent bedrooms attached. This means that families will be able to remain with their sick babies and continue to give them the love and support they need, while the healthcare teams provide them with the highest standards of neonatal care.”
Joining clinical and construction teams at the event was Young Fundraising Ambassador for Alder Hey Children’s Charity Betty who attended with her family. Betty was born at just 23 weeks and needed specialist neonatal intensive care following emergency surgeries for a perforated bowel. She played a valuable part in the Charity’s fundraising campaign for the new surgical NICU. Betty and her parents Karen and Phil were invited to write the first wish on a commemorative design piece that will be placed inside the wall of the new facility. Their wish was “For mum’s and dad’s to be right by their baby’s side – fully involved in the care and making precious memories.”
John Grinnell, Chief Executive at Alder Hey said: “Today marks a major milestone in our journey to transform care for children, young people, and families across Liverpool and beyond. I am so pleased to see how well this complex build is taking shape which is testament to the professionalism and collaboration of everyone involved. This is more than a building—it’s a symbol of our ambition, our partnerships, and our belief in a better future for every child.
“The continuing demand on children’s healthcare and growing complexities in care highlights how vital it is that we design services to meet the needs of children and young people both today and into the future. On behalf of our Board I would like to pass on huge thanks to our partners at Liverpool Women’s, Morgan Sindall, our SPV, and our incredible clinical and project teams. Thanks also to Alder Hey Children’s Charity and our generous donors and of course to families like Betty’s, who have inspired and supported this journey from the start. We look forward to opening the doors in 2026—and to the lives that will be changed within these walls.”
Fiona Ashcroft, CEO from Alder Hey Children’s Charity said: “This new facility is a powerful example of what we can achieve when we put children first. Thanks to over £3million in charitable support, the UK’s first surgical neonatal intensive care unit will keep families together at the most critical moments and provide world-class care for the tiniest and sickest babies. It’s a project that reflects Alder Hey Children’s Charity’s ongoing vision for equity in children’s healthcare and one we hope will influence neonatal care across the UK.”
Steve Gregory, Area Director Morgan Sindall said: “We’re incredibly proud to be working with Alder Hey on such a transformative project that is helping to support the local economy throughout the build programme by creating valuable jobs.
“The building being structurally complete is a significant milestone and a testament to the collaborative effort of everyone involved. This facility will have a profound and lasting impact on the lives of children, young people and their families across Liverpool and beyond, and we’re honoured to be playing a part in delivering the Hospital’s vision.”