Costs of new unit at Jenny Lind Hospital soars by £1.5m

Work began on a major expansion of the Jenny Lind Children's Hospital at the Norfolk and Norwich in early 2021 - in a development which will see the addition of a new three-theatre complex.

The development is now entering its final stages and is expected to treat its first patients in October of this year.

But delays to the scheme and "contractual issues" have seen the overall cost of the project swell from an original £6.5m to £8m - an increase of £1.5m.

The new unit includes three new operating theatres specifically for child patients, a six-bed recovery bay and a children's day procedure unit.

It has seen some demolition work carried out at the Colney site and was designed to improve the environment children and their families are met with when receiving treatment at the hospital.

But works were paused in August last year.

Erika Denton, medical director of NNUH. Picture: NNUH (Image: NNUH)

Erika Denton, medical director at the NNUH, said: "Building work on the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital's Jenny Lind paediatrics theatre complex is under way again with a plan for the first patient to be treated later in the autumn.

"Contractual issues, which are now behind us, saw a delay in development along with an increase in costs from £6.5m to £8m."

The Jenny Lind Children's Hospital first opened its doors almost 170 years ago and was named after global singing sensation Jenny Lind - whose story was recently featured in the Greatest Showman film.

The opera singer, who was dubbed the Swedish Nightingale, visited Norwich a number of times and helped to finance the facility, which opened in April 1854.

It was originally based in Pottergate and has been part of the N&N since 1975 - first in the city centre and then at Colney.