Local MP 'tops out' new Children's Day Treatment Centre

Marian Ridley, Director of Evelina London, Florence Eshalomi MP and Sir Hugh Taylor, Chairman of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, on the roof of the Children's Day Treatment Centre

Evelina London has marked the completion of the outer frame of a new Children's Day Treatment Centre with a visit from Florence Eshalomi MP.

The construction milestone was celebrated with a 'topping out' ceremony on the roof of the new building, which is traditionally held to signify the completion of the building structure. The MP for Vauxhall was joined by representatives from the project to hear about the benefits of the new building and signed the steel framing before the cladding commences.

The new five-storey multi-use building will house a family-friendly space with everything required for children’s day surgery. There will be two new operating theatres to treat an additional 2,300 children per year, helping to reduce waiting times for surgery. Families will also wait less time on the day of surgery, as pre-surgery checks, operation, recovery and preparation for going home can all be done in one place, in one day.

The centre will also boast the latest equipment and child-focused technology to help families with all aspects of their care in a fun and engaging way. 

Marian Ridley, Director of Evelina London, said: “This is an exciting milestone for our first new building as part of our plans for a bigger and even better Evelina London. This purpose-built, stand-alone facility will transform the experience of day surgery and routine procedures for many of our children, young people and their families.

“When a child needs surgery it can be a worrying time for any family. With this in mind, we have designed everything to improve and enhance the experience of children, young people and their families, and to make their visit as comfortable as possible.”

Florence Eshalomi, MP for Vauxhall, said: “I was delighted to attend the topping out ceremony for the new Children’s Day Treatment Centre. This is such an important building for our community, and it has been designed with those families in mind. I look forward to seeing the building progress over the coming months.”

See a film showing how we celebrated this milestone with footage of how the building is progressing, and artists impressions of the finished Children's Day Treatment Centre.

Find out more about our plans for a bigger and better Evelina London.