A team who play a critical role in caring for patients at Leicester’s biggest, busiest hospital have made an important move which bring closer the city’s planned new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The pharmacy team’s office-based functions have temporarily relocated to Knighton Street, enabling the existing inpatient pharmacy to be refurbished into a fully clinical space. Pharmacy services will remain fully operational throughout the refurbishment, continuing to support the dispensing of both inpatient and discharge medications. This refurbishment is a crucial early step in extending the Windsor Building to house services which will move permanently to make way for the new women’s and children’s hospital.
The move follows extensive planning and collaboration across multiple teams. Senior Project Manager Caroline Hind described the relocation as “the result of significant preparation and partnership working, marking the start of a long-anticipated phase of development.”
A coordinated effort ensured the transition was completed smoothly. Specialist IT teams managed the disconnection, transfer and reinstallation of digital systems, while portering colleagues oversaw the physical move of equipment and resources. The inpatient pharmacy team themselves also played a central role, adapting quickly to their new temporary environment while continuing to provide essential medicines for patients.
The move demonstrates what can be achieved through collaboration to minimise short-term disruption during a relocation which is essential to further improving care for patients and families.
Melanie Cross, Pharmacy Lead General Manager, highlighted the significance of this moment, She said: “As the first service to relocate as part of the enabling works, it marks an important step forward. The planned refurbishment and extension will create a modernised pharmacy environment, supporting the continued growth of services and helping teams better meet the needs of patients.”
Refurbishment of the pharmacy space is expected to take around 15 weeks, after which work will begin immediately on the Windsor Building extension. The wider project is scheduled for completion in autumn 2027 and will contribute to delivering improved facilities for patients, families, and colleagues across Leicester.
Keep up-to-date with how we are building hospitals of the future.