A major milestone has been marked on the development of a new operating facility for Leeds Children's Hospital.

Young patients Ruby and Isabella helped celebrate the occasion on site with BAM Construction last week as the ground works were completed.

The new facility is a purpose-built cardiac hybrid theatre, for undertaking complex heart procedures on children and young people, and an intraoperative MRI facility for neurosurgery. 

It is linked directly to the existing theatres in Clarendon Wing and will enable cardiac surgeons and cardiologists to work together during the same procedure which means the skills of both specialists can be employed together, reducing treatment time for patients.

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The development is being delivered with donations from patients, their families, and the public through the Children's Heart Surgery Fund's 'Keeping the Beat' campaign and Leeds Cares.

Carin van Doorn, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Congenital Cardiac Surgery, said: "We are very excited to be one step closer to the completion of this build. The new facility is purpose built and designed specifically for the care of children and young people, which gives us a dedicated space to perform this very complex and specialist surgery.

"This new facility wouldn't be possible without the support of Leeds Cares and the Children's Heart Surgery Fund who have campaigned tirelessly to raise vital funds and to support us in providing the best possible care."

Daniel Marsh, Senior Site Manager at BAM Construction, added: "It's been a complex build but all the hard work is worthwhile when we see children like Ruby and Isabella, who have personally benefitted from the facilities here at Leeds Children's Hospital. It's an honour to be providing a state of the art facility to help improve the lives of children from across Yorkshire and Humber."

(CM/MH)