Local people are being asked to have their say on the plans for a new, state-of-the-art Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge, a project worth up to £1.5 billion that would replace the current ageing facility.
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has unveiled updated designs for the new hospital and opened a public consultation, with views invited until Sunday 13 December. Feedback will help inform the Trust’s updated planning application to Hillingdon Council next year.
The new hospital will have 538 overnight beds, all in single rooms with en-suite bathrooms, giving patients greater privacy and comfort. There would be more space for emergency and specialist care, with expanded theatres, imaging and outpatient services supporting more same-day treatment. A new birthing suite is also planned, with the labour ward close to maternity theatres and the hospital’s main operating theatres.
A new energy centre is also proposed to power the hospital, generating and managing the heat, cooling, steam and electricity needed across the site. A new multi-storey car park with a mobility hub would provide wheelchair hire, cycle facilities, travel information and food and drink facilities.
Lesley Watts, chief executive of the Trust, said: “This is an opportunity to transform healthcare for generations to come. A new hospital will give us the environment and technology to deliver high-quality care and make a real difference to the experience of everyone who comes through our doors. I encourage our patients and local communities to look at the plans, attend an event and share their views so we can ensure the new hospital meets their needs.”
Why a new hospital
The redevelopment would replace an ageing hospital estate that is increasingly difficult to adapt and maintain for modern healthcare. Some buildings date from the 1940s, when they were built as temporary emergency accommodation, and remain in use today. The current facility was once described by former Health Secretary Wes Streeting as the “worst I’ve seen”.
The plans have been refreshed following the Government’s confirmation in January 2025 that the redevelopment of Hillingdon Hospital would proceed in Wave 1 of the New Hospital Programme, the initiative to rebuild, refurbish or replace NHS hospitals across England. Hillingdon Hospital is one of a small number of schemes in Wave 1 and the only one in London. Hospitals in this wave are expected to start construction between 2025 and 2030.
The updated designs follow the New Hospital Programme’s Hospital 2.0 approach, a standardised blueprint setting out how key areas should be designed and laid out, including emergency care, inpatient wards, operating theatres, maternity services, diagnostics and outpatient services. The guidance was developed with input from more than 1,000 clinicians, Royal Colleges, healthcare staff and patients.
Residents, patients and the public can look at the updated proposals and share their views by Sunday 13 December, including at a webinar on Tuesday 24 November. The Trust’s timeline has the updated planning application going to Hillingdon Council in 2027, a full business case to the Treasury in 2028, and construction beginning from 2028 onwards — though those dates are subject to change.
For context on how major London health and civic projects are progressing, see our reporting on 452 new council homes approved at Kidbrooke and disruption for patients after a London GP provider collapsed.
