Chester’s new Women & Children’s Building wins top awards

Chester’s new Women & Children’s Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital has been named one of the region’s best new developments.

It has won two major awards at the North West Regional Construction Awards – the North West’s biggest and longest‑running construction awards, now in their 20th year.

The building won Project of the Year – Cheshire, Wirral & Warrington and Sustainability Award, recognising both its family‑focused design and its forward‑thinking approach to energy use and carbon reduction.

The £110m building opened in early September 2025 and beat tough competition at the awards. Judges said it stood out because it was designed around families and built with the future in mind.

Local families noticed the difference straight away. In the first week of opening in September last year, twice as many expectant parents contacted the hospital to book their maternity care, with opening day reaching six times the usual number. Parents said the building felt light, bright and calm, with individual rooms and spaces that made them feel safe and supported. The first baby born there, Wateen Mohammed, arrived on opening day – a moment staff described as “special”.

Soon after opening, the building reached a national milestone. It became the first completed NHS building in England to meet the NHS Net Zero Building Standard. This means it uses no gas, makes its own clean electricity and tracks its energy use in real time. It is one of the most energy‑efficient healthcare buildings in the country.

Since then, the building has attracted attention from across the NHS. National leaders have visited to learn how the project delivered strong value for money. University teams including at Chester have toured the site to understand how carbon‑neutral design works in real life, and maternity teams from other parts of the country have come to listen and share ideas.

The project was delivered by construction partners IHP – a joint venture between VINCI Building and Sir Robert McAlpine – with many subcontractors being local businesses. They were supported by Ecospheric, a sustainability consultancy that helped the building meet the NHS Net Zero Standard, and CCL Solutions, who led the project management.

Jane Tomkinson OBE, Chief Executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“This building has put Chester on the map. Families felt the difference from day one, and the rest of the NHS is now looking to us for ideas, with the whole construction industry recognising it as among the best built in the last year for its sustainable design and the way families and staff shaped it from the start. It shows what modern healthcare can look like – welcoming, sustainable and designed around the people who use it. We’re proud of what this means for our community.”

The awards come at a time when the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeing real improvement. Waiting times for planned treatment and urgent and emergency care have come down, cancer care has stayed strong and there has been a renewed focus on staff wellbeing and patient experience. These changes have helped the Trust climb 35 places in the national performance table of 134 hospital trusts – including a recent jump of 24 places, the biggest in Cheshire and Merseyside. It means the hospital is no longer near the bottom and is moving firmly in the right direction.

New facilities are also opening across the site. A modern Stroke Ward opened in October, and the new Chester Haematology Centre will open this summer. A £7.1 million upgrade to the front of A&E and related areas has already made a difference, and more investment is planned to expand the area inside the department where patients are assessed and monitored.

The Trust is focused on taking more care into the community, with plans for a second Community Diagnostic Centre, continuing work to bring down long waits and has more major estate improvements in tow, as it moves towards its ambition to become a teaching hospital.

How to refer yourself:

Expectant parents can bypass the initial GP appointment and self‑refer directly to their chosen hospital for maternity care. Choosing the Countess is simple and open to everyone, whether you live locally or further afield – simply refer yourself using this form.

Midwives will provide support, information and ensure patients are cared for throughout their journey.

Pictured - From left to right - Claire Davies and Amanda Woodard welcoming patients on the first day of new Women and Children's Building opening.