£34.6 million released as next stage of Whittington Hospital redevelopment
10 Sep 2026
Work to transform maternity and neonatal services at Whittington Hospital is set to ramp up after the Trust Board approved the first major Outline business case for the redevelopment.
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More than £34.5 million has been released for the first major phase of work to transform maternity and neonatal facilities at Whittington Hospital, with construction activity set to step up while maternity and neonatal services remain open throughout the redevelopment.
Whittington Health NHS Trust’s Board has approved the first Outline Business Case for the Start Well Estates programme, allowing £34.57 million of capital funding to be released for Phase 0.
Phase 0 will deliver major enabling works needed before the hospital’s maternity and neonatal facilities can be transformed. The wider programme will create more modern facilities, increase neonatal capacity and improve the environment for women, pregnant people, babies and families.
Foundational work linked to the wider redevelopment has already begun including the demolition of the large chimney and energy centre and the move of the hospital’s chapel from its old home near to the Labour Ward into the Jenner Building on the hospital site. Following the Board’s decision, activity on the hospital site will now increase as the Trust prepares for the next stages of construction.
Importantly, maternity and neonatal services will remain open throughout the work.
Whittington Health says protecting the experience of women and pregnant people who choose to give birth at the hospital will be a central part of the programme. The redevelopment has been designed in phases so clinical services can continue and disruption can be to a minimum.
Isabelle Cornet, Director of Midwifery for Whittington Health NHS Trust said: “We expect redevelopment works to start later in 2026. Until then, and throughout construction, our services remain open. Our top priority is that everyone who gives birth with us has a positive experience. That will remain our focus at every stage.”
The Trust will plan work around the needs of people using maternity services, their partners, families and wider support networks. Safe continuity of care throughout the redevelopment is one of the programme’s key commitments. Major structural work will also be carefully sequenced.
The major aspect of phase 0 includes creation of high quality temporary neonatal facilities. The temporary unit will allow the existing Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Baby Unit to move while their permanent new facilities are constructed. This will allow neonatal services to continue throughout the next stage of the programme well away from noisy works and construction vibration.
Phase 0 is currently expected to be completed in October 2027.
Selina Douglas, Chief Executive of Whittington Health NHS Trust, said: “I know this feels like it has been a long time coming, but we are so excited that the works will now accelerate. This £34.6 million investment is a major step towards delivering the modern maternity and neonatal facilities our patients, families and colleagues deserve.
“There is a huge amount of work ahead of us, and carrying out a redevelopment of this scale within a working hospital will be challenging. But I want to reassure people thinking about having a baby with us that we have carefully planned the programme to minimise disruption to ensure that everyone can continue to book their birth with us, with confidence.
“This is the start of a really important period of change for Whittington Hospital, and I am looking forward to seeing the plans we have been developing with our clinical teams begin to become a reality.”
What comes next?
The next planned phase will bring some of the most visible changes for patients and families.
- Phase 1A includes a new permanent neonatal unit, refurbishment of the Women’s Day Unit, Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit and postnatal ward, as well as interim maternity triage facilities and supporting accommodation.
- Later phases will include further improvements to maternity triage, the labour ward and the hospital’s main entrance.
Around £49 million of further capital investment is currently estimated for Phases 1A, 1B and 1C. The full redevelopment is being delivered in stages because construction will take place within a working hospital. The Trust says clinical oversight, transition planning and regular quality reviews will be used throughout to protect safety and patient experience.
Whittington Health will continue to update patients, families, local communities and colleagues as the work progresses.
The Trust has released images of what the final finished facilities have been designed to look like. These can be viewed by clicking here.