The outline business case (OBC) document outlines the proposed outcome and benefits of Cambridge Children’s Hospital, building on its strategic outline case (SOC), which was approved by the Government in 2018.

Built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the hospital will care for children and young people across multiple counties – Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire – and is anticipated to have an impact at national and international level.

The project is adopting a whole new approach of caring for children and young people by fully integrating mental and physical health services under one roof. By also embedding a research institute in the hospital, Cambridge Children’s Hospital will provide personalised holistic care for children and young people in the East of England and beyond.

Project director Alex White said: “We’re delighted to have reached this significant milestone for the project. A tremendous amount of work has gone into the submission and it’s exciting to see our plans take shape around our unique vision: bringing physical and mental health together and using genomic medicine to personalise care for our region’s young people and their individual needs.”

As part of its goal to integrate mental and physical health, the hospital will develop new ways of delivering care, such as: joint clinics and ward rounds; joint grand rounds and Schwartz rounds; an integrated clinical, management and reporting structure that drives and rewards integration; and enhanced links with community services, social care and education.

The hospital will feature many outdoors spaces, with gardens, courtyards and terraces providing access to nature and spaces for play and relaxation that support biodiversity and wildlife. The main hospital building will itself be enclosed within a wide landscaped green perimeter that seeks to recreate the feel of a meadow in summer. 

The international design team comprises Turner & Townsend, as project manager and cost manager, and an architectural collaboration between White Arkitekter and Hawkins\Brown. Ramboll and MJ Medical are providing engineering services and healthcare planning services, respectively.

Planning permission for the new hospital was granted by Cambridge City Council last year, after children and young people helped develop the early designs. Work will now begin on developing the final stage of the hospital’s business case – the full business case (FBC) – throughout this year.

Established by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge, the hospital is a partnership bringing together clinical expertise and knowledge. Under the leadership of a campaign board, the project is committed to raising £100 million from philanthropy and fundraising by 2025.