New eye hospital estimated to cost £50m
New eye hospital estimated to cost £50m
Jason Arunn Murugesu - North East and CumbriaWed, June 24, 2026 at 4:58 AM UTC
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The new site will replace an outdated facility on Queen Alexandra Road
A new eye hospital is estimated to cost £14m more than initially expected due to inflation and interest rate rises, an NHS trust has said.
In 2021 South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust announced plans for a new £36m hospital.
The Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital, which is due to open in July, is now estimated to have cost £50m, due to inflation and higher interest rates - following the pandemic when building costs surged, a trust spokesperson said.
The site's eye emergency department is due to open at 14:00 BST on 11 July with the facility's remaining services expected to open by 23 July.
The trust said the hospital was initially to have been funded by a loan from Sunderland City Council.
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But in the 2025-2026 financial year, the NHS agreed to loan the trust the funds for the construction work instead.
This money will be repaid in full, a trust spokesperson said.
The new hospital will replace the Sunderland Eye Infirmary on Queen Alexandra Road, which is no longer fit for purpose.
It will include an A&E waiting space designed for children, children's treatment rooms and the region's Cataract Treatment Centre, which has been set up with an extra theatre.
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South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Source: “AOL Money”
