GRAHAM has completed and handed over the main phase of works for a new clinical building at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, marking a key milestone in the transformation of the Loveday Street site.
Awarded through NHS England’s ProCure23 framework, a strategic partnership between NHS England and Crown Commercial Service, the three-storey facility was formally handed over to the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and will officially open later this year. The new building will significantly improve surgical capacity and provides advanced clinical technologies, supporting improved care for children and young people from across the region and beyond.
The facility accommodates a new, state-of-the-art intraoperative MRI (iMRI) machine, operating theatres and recovery facilities, alongside critical electrical and plant infrastructure. Entirely funded through charitable donations, the iMRI suite will allow surgeons to access real-time imaging during procedures, improving surgical precision and reducing the need for repeat operations. The additional theatre capacity will also support efforts to reduce waiting times and improve patient flow. A ground-water heat plant integrated within the building will support the hospital’s transition to more sustainable energy use across the wider site.
Delivering the building posed a significant technical challenge due to its orientation as it was tightly surrounded by live, operational clinical environments, including active theatres directly adjacent and below. This meant that even minor noise or vibration had the potential to disrupt critical hospital activity. Continuous monitoring and meticulous control of construction impacts throughout the programme were therefore essential. Overcoming these constraints relied heavily on close collaboration with the Trust’s Estates Team, ensuring constant communication, shared awareness of planned works and carefully co-ordinated decision‑making to maintain uninterrupted clinical operations.
A further phase of works, to be delivered by Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust includes new decarbonisation plant rooms, plus the fit-out and refurbishment of the Emergency Department and the creation of a new main entrance, both supported by the hospital’s charity.
Steve Cumley, Chief Operating Officer for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said:
This is a significant milestone for a challenging project, made possible by strong collaboration with our team and GRAHAM. We look forward to completion of the next phase when the building will enable us to transform the care we provide to our patients and families.
Elizabeth Smith, Healthcare Director at GRAHAM, said:
Working collaboratively with the Trust, clinical teams and the hospital’s charity, our focus has been on delivering highly specialised spaces that support advanced treatment and long-term operational resilience. We are proud to see the building move into its next phase as it prepares to open and begin supporting patient care.
