Leicester Royal Infirmary is a vital part of the health system for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and our plans for the hospital will transform care for hundreds of thousands of people.
First step… enabling works
In the summer of 2025, work will begin to pave the way for the main developments at LRI, although it may not be obvious to the public at first.
The new hospital will be built where we already have old buildings, but some of our services still operate from them. So, from the summer of 2025 we will begin refurbishing parts of the LRI, as well as parts of Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital, so that teams working in those older buildings can move into new homes which better suit the delivery of modern healthcare. This will affect the following services:
- Hearing and Balance
- Inpatient pharmacy
- Occupational Health
If you already use these services, you may attend appointments in a different place to where you’re used to. We’ll make sure that information is included in your appointment letters and texts.
Then, from late 2025, you will be able to see some more obvious work start, as we will begin building an extension to the Windsor Building. This will affect some traffic and pedestrian flow around the site, but this will be sign-posted.
At the same time, we will begin work on a large trench running from the multi-storey car park to the main entrance to the Windsor Building. This is so we can put in new cables and pipes that will carry more data, electricity and other services to our new buildings. The trench will be built in sections, with a clear pathway marked around so it won’t prevent people using that route. Our team will also make sure people who have limited mobility can still use this route.
The other big piece of work beginning in late 2025 is a new electrical substation at the south side of the Balmoral Building. This is to improve the electrical supply to the LRI site, which is essential to enable the new hospital to run with its modern equipment.
2026 and beyond: A new maternity and family health hospital
As part a wider re-organisation of care for pregnant people and new born babies, as well as for their partners, we will be building a new maternity hospital at the LRI, as well as a new children’s hospital.
The planning for these new facilities is underway, and we’re working closely with NHS England and the national New Hospitals Programme on the funding available. This will then enable us to confirm and share the details of exactly what will be in the new hospital and the timescales for completion.
At the new women’s hospital, we will deliver more personalised care in an environment that is safe for parents and babies alike. Skilled colleagues and state of the art equipment will all be in one place, so that mothers in labour can be fully supported in their birthing choices and transfers of care to units on a different site will be reduced.
There will be an increase in the number of single rooms which will improve dignity and privacy and help better manage infection, as well as making it easier for partners to stay overnight.
Meanwhile parents and babies will be able to be cared for together in a dedicated 14-bed facility, to help keep families together and avoid long term admissions.
Expansion of intensive care unit
As well as building a new maternity and children’s hospitals, we will be expanding our intensive care capacity by building a new, bigger unit, which will help us provide the most complex care for patients with life-threatening conditions.
Improving access
We know that some visitors to the Leicester Royal Infirmary find access difficult and the site hard to navigate. We will be working with partners to make it easier to get to the LRI and, once there, to provide high quality signage to help people move around easily.
If you’d like to get in touch and let us know what you think, drop us a line at PatientEngagement@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
