Improving our estate

  • £115m to be spent this year to reduce estate risks and improve experience at Imperial College Healthcare in response to redevelopment delays

  • £25.2m from Government’s new Estates Safety Fund – one of largest awards nationally

Imperial College Healthcare plans to invest £115m across its five hospitals in 2025/26 to reduce estate risks and improve experience in response to redevelopment delays. (See appendix for a breakdown of key schemes by site.) This compares with a total capital spend of £70m last year.

Funding sources include £25.25m awarded last week through the Government’s Estates Safety Fund – one of the largest allocations in the scheme intended to address critical infrastructure and safety risks.

Sources also include an additional £9m awarded through the Government’s 2025/26 constitutional standards recovery capital funding stream, £29.7m from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme secured in 2024, and £3m for imaging machine upgrades announced in March.

This additional central funding will be combined with the Trust’s own capital budget which stands at £60m for 2025/26. Imperial Health Charity has committed a further £2m so far for 2025/26 towards schemes to deliver significant improvements in patient and staff experience.

With New Hospital Programme funding delayed for a new St Mary’s and for major refurbishment and redevelopment schemes at Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals, there is a growing need for short term investment to reduce the risk of major estate failures which would have further safety, operational and efficiency impacts. The cost to eradicate high risk maintenance backlog on the three sites is now over £420m.

Professor Tim Orchard, chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Some of our buildings are over 180 years old and we have the largest high risk maintenance backlog of any NHS Trust. We are relieved and grateful to have additional support for managing the safety and operational risks this brings. We are also fortunate to have an excellent estates team who work miracles and a fantastic wider workforce who go the extra mile, as well as great support from Imperial Health Charity.

“The past year has been particularly challenging, with power outages, loss of water, flooding, collapsing floors and ceilings and even a fire. We have revised our estates approach to make larger investments in safety and maintenance where possible, while making the most of that and all other capital investment to support operational flow and improved patient and staff experience. But the only real solution – and the most cost effective one - is the redevelopment of all three of our main sites.”

A new, 800-bed St Mary’s Hospital and the redevelopment of the wider campus plus major refurbishment and new build at both Charing Cross and Hammersmith hospitals are included in wave three of the Government’s New Hospital Programme (NHP). The Western Eye Hospital is due to be incorporated into the most suitable of these schemes. However, following the outcome of the Government’s NHP review in January, NHP funding for construction was delayed until 2035 at the earliest. In February, we were able to confirm NHP funding would be continued for the St Mary’s scheme – where need is most urgent – to complete detailed design and planning while we work with partners to explore options for additional, alternative funding approaches for the main building works. We continue to consider next steps for the Charing Cross and Hammersmith schemes, both of which would be able to be progressed on a phased basis if funding becomes available.

Appendix

Key capital schemes and total capital spend for 2025/26 by site (as of 1 June 2025)

Charing Cross Hospital

Scheme/description 2025/26 investment Due to be completed
Decarbonisation and energy efficiency £7,305,000 December 27
Ventilation and air handling improvements £7,000,000 March 26
Fire safety improvements £6,000,000 March 26
Same day emergency care unit expansion £4,500,000 March 26
New surgical assessment unit £4,500,000 March 26
MRI replacement x 2 £4,400,000 March 26
Theatre upgrades £4,000,000 March 26
Linear accelerator replacement (radiotherapy machines) £2,905,000 March 26
Electrical infrastructure improvements £2,265,000 March 26
3 West Ward refurbishment £1,832,000 December 25
Water and drainage improvements £1,500,000 March 26
Ground and first floor redesign and refurbishment £1,400,000 (£5,000,000 total over three years) March 27
8 West Ward refurbishment £733,000 December 25
Other schemes £1,574,000
Total £49,914,000

Hammersmith/Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital

Scheme/description 2025/26 investment Due to be completed
Decarbonisation/energy efficiency £29,088,000 December 27
Electrical infrastructure improvements £4,200,000 March 26
Ward improvements and reconfiguration/expansion of intensive care unit £2,747,000 March 26
Water and drainage improvements £2,500,000 March 26
Garry Weston (cancer) unit – ground floor refurbishment £1,000,000 March 26
Other schemes £2,309,000
Total £41,844,000

St Mary’s Hospital

Scheme/description 2025/26 investment Due to be completed
Refurbishment of angio suite £4,783,000 March 27
Refurbishment of Acrow buildings and 4th floor of Clarence Wing £4,000,000
Electrical infrastructure improvements (including universal power supply upgrade) £2,700,000 March 26
Refurbishment of outpatient clinics £1,800,000
MRI scanner replacement £1,300,000
Relocation and improvements for in-patient pharmacy dispensary £1,000,000 December 26
Emergency department refurbishment £864,000 March 26
Other schemes £1,750,000
Total £18,197,000

Western Eye Hospital

Scheme/description 2025/26 investment Due to be completed
Redesign and refurbishment of ground floor and emergency department £830,000 (£1,660,000 total over two years) December 26
Other schemes £500,000
Total £1,330,000

Trust-wide projects

Scheme/description 2025/26 investment Due to be completed
LED lighting upgrades £2,600,000 December 25
Other schemes £680,000
Total £3,280,000

The Estates Safety Fund allocation will be spent as follows:

Site Allocation
Charing Cross Hospital £16,500,000
Hammersmith Hospital £4,750,000
St Mary’s Hospital £2,000,000
Cross-site £2,000,000