New Ronald McDonald House plans approved

The new Ronald McDonald House will open in 2016

A planning application to build new accommodation for families of young patients at Evelina London Children’s Hospital has been approved by Lambeth Council.

This is welcome news for parents of sick children who may need to stay in hospital for weeks or even months at a time.

The new Ronald McDonald House – which will open in 2016 – will be built and run by Ronald McDonald House Charities which is an independent charity providing free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for families with sick children in hospital.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity has provided the site for the new 59-bedroom facility, which is within walking distance of Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Families will be able to stay free of charge and for as long as their children are being cared for in hospital.

It will replace the current 20-bedroom Ronald McDonald House near Guy’s Hospital.

Demand for the accommodation already far outstrips the number of rooms available and this demand is likely to increase further still as the number of children being treated at Evelina London Children’s Hospital is increasing every year.

Evelina London treats children from not only London but also a wider catchment area throughout south east London and beyond – overnight accommodation is vital so that families do not need to travel long distances to and from the children’s hospital each day.

There are 14 Ronald McDonald Houses in the UK. Without these facilities, many parents would have to sleep on a chair by their child’s bed or pay for expensive hotel accommodation.