Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in the UK has announced that plans to upgrade part of Birmingham Children’s Hospital have been approved.

The move comes after an application was submitted to the Birmingham City Council to carry out a major upgrade to the hospital.

The proposals involve building a new three-storey elective care hub on the premises, which will be financed by the national Covid-19 recovery programme.

This hub will house an advanced intraoperative MRI (iMRI) machine, designed to enhance patient care during surgeries and minimise the requirement for certain children to travel to different regions of the UK to receive treatment. It will also offer more space for clinical services.

The plans involve a complete overhaul of the hospital's front area.

This includes removing the existing entrance and constructing a new glass façade, providing additional space to receive both patients and visitors.

Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Matt Boazman said: “This is excellent news, not just for the Children’s Hospital but the thousands of children and young people across Birmingham and the West Midlands who access our services every year and those across the UK who rely on the skills and expertise of our highly specialised services.”

By increasing the utilisation of ground source heat pump technology, the scheme helps enhance thermal performance and energy efficiency.

Modern glass and frames will be used to replace the front windows of the hospital, maintaining alignment with the Victorian architecture of the site.

BDP developed the hospital’s redevelopment plans.

BDP architect director Vicky Casey said: “Through a combination of redevelopment and refurbishment our project at Birmingham Children’s Hospital will create a modern healthcare facility that can sustain the world-class provision of paediatric services in the heart of Birmingham city centre.”