Royal Liverpool University Hospital demolition reaches final phase

For over four decades, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital stood tall at the top of Prescot Street towards the east end of the city.

Since opening its doors in 1978, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital has become deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, both for its distinctive architecture and the vast number of healthcare services it delivered to millions of people across the region.

The decommissioning and demolition of the old Royal has been underway since the opening of the new hospital in October 2022, carried out by specialist contractors, DSM, and funded by the government’s New Hospital Programme.

This work is now in its final stages, with high-reach demolition of the old 11 storey ward block now complete. DSM will remain on site until October 2025, completing substructure removal of foundations and tunnels and preparing the ground for the future development.

As the city says goodbye to the old Royal, attention now turns to the future of the land on which it stood.

Construction is expected to start this summer on an extended podium and two-way entrance, connecting Mount Vernon Street and Daulby Street, and this improved infrastructure will enhance access to the hospital.

This work is being carried out by BAM Construction and is expected to be completed by Autumn 2026.

NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group), which operates the Royal as well as Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital, is developing a strategic masterplan for the site in partnership with the New Hospital Programme and Liverpool City Council’s Planning and Regeneration teams. This will provide a framework for all future developments over the next decade.

Working with UHL Group, cancer support charity, Maggie’s, is currently going through the local authority planning process for a new Liverpool centre, which would be located on part of the old hospital site near Prescot Street and will benefit cancer patients, as well as family and friends, from across the region. This project has been commissioned, designed and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation. Subject to planning permission being granted, the Maggie’s centre is expected to be opened in 2027.

In partnership with UHL Group, the University of Liverpool is also continuing to develop early plans for Health Innovation Liverpool, a health and life sciences campus within the future strategic masterplan. Health Innovation Liverpool would house medical, dental and nurse training facilities for future generations of healthcare professionals, conduct healthcare research with the NHS to benefit the Liverpool population and house companies to power the Liverpool City Region Life Science growth agenda.

James Sumner, Chief Executive of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, said:

“Demolishing the old site in such close proximity to the new Royal and neighbouring buildings has been a complex project and reaching this milestone is a significant achievement. The immediate work we have planned for the extended podium entrance will make a real improvement to how people access the site.

“Further redevelopment is subject to planning and funding, like any new building work, and we are working closely with partners to develop a masterplan that will have the health and wellbeing of our patients and local communities at its heart.”

Yvonne Smith: meet the woman who has worked in all three of Liverpool’s Royal hospitals  

Ask almost anyone in Liverpool and they’ll likely have a personal connection to the Royal, whether through a loved one who received care there or someone who worked among the many dedicated teams.

The hospital was originally built to replace three healthcare facilities in the city: the Liverpool Royal Infirmary, the David Lewis Northern Hospital, and the Royal Southern Hospital. At the time, its modern design and state-of-the-art technology were considered revolutionary, signalling the start of modern-day patient care. Gone were the traditional Nightingale-style round wards, replaced with a layout designed for efficiency and expanding services.

As the city’s skyline changes, the spirit of care and commitment embodied in staff like Yvonne Smith, Unit Manager on the Gastroenterology Unit, is steadfast. Yvonne began her career in 1978 and will soon celebrate an incredible 50 years of service within the NHS. She is one of only a select few who has worked at all three of the Royal hospitals, an achievement not many can lay claim to.

“I trained at the old Royal Liverpool Infirmary,” she recalls. “There were about 70 of us in my set, and we lived on site. It was very different back then, right down to how we put on our uniforms. We wore a white cap, apron and a navy cape with red trim for errands during night shifts. It looked smart but wasn’t very practical!”

Yvonne has witnessed huge shifts in healthcare over the years, especially in technological advances. She said: “I remember the old round wards with fireplaces. They weren’t built for the volume of patients we see today. We were one of the first team to move into what was then the new Royal, the change in layout and structure was striking, it allowed us to care for many more patients in a much more efficient way.”

Over the years Yvonne has seen more than just buildings change, so too has the nursing profession itself. “When I qualified, only doctors could prescribe antibiotics. Now we have Nurse Consultants, Specialists and Practitioners. It’s inspiring to see how nursing has evolved.”

Throughout her long and varied career Yvonne has worked in many different departments from the A&E to Dermatology, however her core belief has never changed, the basic principles of care. “No matter what the advances in medicine or changes in buildings were, the foundations of good care remain the same. My core skills have enabled me to work on multiple wards and clinics in and around the hospital over the years. The nursing skills we were taught back then continue to be passed down and can be applied anywhere.”

Among her earliest memories are those watching the construction of the now old Royal. She said: “We’d sit on the rooftop of the old hospital and watch the new one being built. Sometimes, if it was warm, we’d even sleep up there.

“Leaving a building you know so well is hard, so many memories, friendships, hard times and truly wonderful times, but I’m excited for what’s next.”

Find out more about the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital here.

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