Construction of the main structure for City's first independent hospital completed

The City’s very first independent hospital will feature 48 bedrooms, four state-of-the-art operating theatres and 28 consultation rooms, and will specialise in cardiology, cardiac surgery, oncology and orthopaedics, as well as other surgical and medical specialties when it opens in spring 2021. The £65million building will also provide physiotherapy and diagnostics, and will complement our 35 consumer fitness and wellbeing clubs, 63 on-site corporate gyms and 150 GPs in our catchment area, which will refer patients to the new hospital.

We have partnered with Barts Health NHS Trust, leasing the former pathology and residential staff quarters buildings, to give patients access to some of the most experienced and skilled consultants in the world, supported by cutting-edge technology in comfortable, welcoming surroundings providing access to a wealth of great resources. 

Since works began, archaeologists from the Museum of London have examined the historic site in detail and preparatory works have been undertaken. The two original buildings were demolished with the exception of the façade of the former pathology building – made famous as the launch pad for the feigned suicide leap by the eponymous detective played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC’s Sherlock series – which has been retained.

The matching Portland stone being used to build the new facades was selected to reflect the historic importance of the site and its surroundings; it is essentially the same stone used by James Gibbs in 1738-69 to construct the adjacent Grade 1 Listed St Bartholomew’s Square, and by Sir Christopher Wren before that in many of his famous London churches.

Reviving the two buildings to create state-of-the-art 21st century medical facilities, whilst retaining the grand facade of the pathology building and working on a site constrained by other historic buildings which make up the hospital founded in 1123, is a complex engineering project but the construction remains on schedule.

Maxine Estop Green, our Hospital Director, said: “It is always something to celebrate when you reach this stage of a major build, particularly with a project as complex as this one.

“The history of the site and the constrained space in which the team have had to work have presented significant challenges but it has been a delight to mark the completion of the main build which means we are on schedule to open the City’s first independent hospital next spring.”  

Kier’s Louisa Finlay said: “We were thrilled to celebrate the topping out and reach this key project milestone at Nuffield Health, St Bartholomew’s Hospital. This project builds on our expertise in delivering state-of-the-art healthcare and diagnostic facilities and we are proud to work in partnership with Nuffield Health to deliver the first independent hospital in the City of London.”

Last updated Thursday 13 February 2020

First published on Tuesday 11 February 2020