Frequently asked questions

With our local health and social care partners, we’re working towards building a brand new state-of-the-art hospital at Whipps Cross as part of the Government’s flagship new hospital building programme.

The redevelopment of Whipps Cross offers a historic opportunity to replace an ageing and sprawling estate with a brand new hospital and to transform the wider Whipps Cross site with new homes, new green and public spaces, other health and care services and community facilities.

Below you'll find answers to some of the frequently asked questions.

When will the hospital be completed?

The new hospital will be located next to the existing hospital. Work on site began in March 2021 with demolition of disused buildings to prepare the ground for a new hospital.

The new hospital site is currently occupied by a temporary staff car park. In 2024 construction of a new 500-space multi-storey car park will begin. On completion, the new car park will enable the closure of the temporary staff car park and allow construction of the new hospital itself to begin.

Subject to full approval by national government, we expect construction on the new Whipps Cross Hospital to start in 2025/26 and be completed in 2029/30.

 

How much will the new hospital cost?

The overall capital requirement for the the new hospital will be informed by the detailed design work that underpins the development of the Outline Business Case. This will then be subject to approval by national government.

How much of the site will be sold?

The current hospital is spread out across 18 hectares, equivalent to around 25 football pitches.  The new hospital will have a much smaller footprint but a better layout, providing 30% more clinical space to care for and treat patients.

This means there is an opportunity to redevelop the wider site to increase the number of green spaces, provide greater flood protection, and safeguard land for future NHS use.

The current Whipps Cross site is currently 99% covered by hard surfaces such as access roads and multiple car parks. As part of our commitment to the environment we will create 58,500sqm of newly planted publicly accessible green spaces, the equivalent of around 8 football pitches.

Through planting and other measures we will improve biodiversity by 10% on the site and install new flood mitigations.

Once the requirements of safeguarded land for future NHS use and the provision of green spaces have been met, the remaining land will be disposed of for development including up to 1,500 new homes, in line with Waltham Forest Council’s Local Plan. The value of the land at the point of sale will be determined by market conditions at the time.

How will the new development prevent issues like those during the recent flooding?

The major flooding incident at Whipps Cross in July 2021 once again brought home that our ageing and sprawling estate makes the hospital particularly vulnerable to such events.

The fact that it was a newer part of the hospital most affected by the floods reinforces the case for building a new, modern, hospital on the site as soon as possible.

Our flood prevention plans for the new hospital include incorporating green roofs and attenuation tanks (which collect and store excess water), to reduce the “run off” rate of surface water into the existing drainage system to reduce peaks - equivalent to “green field conditions”.

There will also be a critical drainage area set aside to provide flood attenuation tanks and natural ponds to further improve the impact of flooding. The drainage will be designed to promote increased water use efficiency, improved water quality, and enhanced biodiversity, urban greening, amenity and recreation.

However, these plans can only be delivered in full through the redevelopment of the hospital and the wider site.

How many beds will the new Whipps Cross have?

Our plans include the flexibility to provide up to 600 overnight inpatient beds should that prove necessary. That's more beds than in the current hospital.

We will keep reviewing this during the planning and construction phases to make sure that when the new hospital opens it meets local demand for healthcare.

 

How will specialist palliative and end of life care be delivered in the new hospital?

Specialist palliative and end-of-life care will be provided on all general medical wards in the new Whipps Cross Hospital. As well as this, we’ll look at the option of also providing specialist care in a dedicated acute palliative care unit within the new hospital.

Meanwhile, inpatient specialist palliative and end of life care will continue to be provided in the Margaret Centre as well as in an increasing number of general medical wards elsewhere in the hospital.

Specialist palliative and end-of-life care will be provided on all general medical wards in the new Whipps Cross Hospital. As well as this, we’ll look at the option of also providing specialist care in a dedicated acute palliative care unit within the new hospital.

Meanwhile, inpatient specialist palliative and end of life care will continue to be provided in the Margaret Centre as well as in an increasing number of general medical wards elsewhere in the hospital.

Will there be enough car parking spaces?

Yes. We're also planning for the site to be easier to get to using many different transport options.

In line with local and regional policy we are aiming to reduce reliance on car use to the hospital to support a significant reduction in car parking spaces at the hospital over several years.

To do this, we are developing an active travel plan to encourage our staff to use alternative transport options - including walking, cycling and public transport - to support a gradual reduction in car use and a consequent reduction in the overall demand for car parking spaces.

We are also discussing with local partners, including Transport for London, the opportunities for improving public transport, particularly bus connections.

Our car parks will be fully accessible for disabled drivers and their passengers and have electric charging points.  There will also be dedicated drop off/pick up facilities making access simpler, safer, and as practical as possible.