The development of a new operating facility for Leeds Children’s Hospital has achieved a major milestone. The occasion was celebrated on site by young patients Ruby and Isabella together with BAM Construction last week as the ground works were completed.

“It’s been a complex build but all the hard work is worthwhile when we see children like Ruby and Isabella, who have personally benefitted from the facilities here at Leeds Children’s Hospital. It’s an honour to be providing a state of the art facility to help improve the lives of children from across Yorkshire and Humber,” commented Daniel Marsh, Senior Site Manager at BAM Construction.

The new facility is a purpose-built cardiac hybrid theatre for undertaking complex heart procedures on children and young people, as well as an intraoperative MRI facility for neurosurgery.

It is linked directly to the existing theatres in Clarendon Wing and will enable cardiac surgeons and cardiologists to work together during the same procedure which means the skills of both specialists can be employed together, reducing treatment time for patients.

“We are very excited to be one step closer to the completion of this build. The new facility is purpose built and designed specifically for the care of children and young people, which gives us a dedicated space to perform this very complex and specialist surgery,” said Carin van Doorn, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Congenital Cardiac Surgery.

“This new facility wouldn’t be possible without the support of Leeds Cares and the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund who have campaigned tirelessly to raise vital funds and to support us in providing the best possible care,” Carin added.

The development is being delivered with donations from patients, their families, and the public through the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund’s ‘Keeping the Beat’ campaign and Leeds Cares.