Whipps Cross funding secured to build new ‘smart’ hospital

The Whipps Won’t Wait Campaign has been calling for improvements to the Victorian-era infrastructure.

In July 2021, serious flooding closed the A&E and prevented hundreds of essential operations.

Now that funding has been secured, Whipps Cross will become a state-of-the-art ‘smart’ hospital.

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There will be more clinical space than there currently is, alongside 14 new operating theatres located next to recovery rooms.

The new hospital will contain a day unit to better care for patients, with a doubling of CT and MRI scanners.

It will be able to provide 31,000 more MRI and CT scans per year to enable faster diagnoses.

While currently only 17 per cent of rooms are for single occupancy, this will increase to 70 per cent with the improvements.

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Leader of Redbridge Council Jas Athwal said: “Thousands of local people across the west of Redbridge rely on Whipps Cross for their healthcare needs.

“For too long we have been waiting for the government investment Whipps Cross Hospital desparately needs and I am glad to say that wait has ended with the announcement that plans to redevelop the hospital will begin this autumn.

“I want to thank everyone from across Redbridge and Waltham who joined the Whipps Won’t Wait campaign, fought for our local hospital and won – this success is down to all of you.”

Leader of Waltham Forest Council Grace Williams said: “The government has announced that the hospital will proceed.

“We will at last have a hospital that is fit for purpose for the 21st century and of which staff can rightly be proud.

“I know the affection local people have for Whipps Cross. 

“Many residents will have been born, had babies of their own, and relatives cared for at the hospital.

“We now have the opportunity to build on the emotional attachment the community has for Whipps and create a legacy for future generations.

“We will hold the government to account to make sure this happens without further delay and the money they’ve promised is used well to meet the needs of residents.”