Published on: 16 June 2025
The finishing touches are being made to an energy hub which will help power the North East’s first gas-free hospital as the main building it is put under wraps for the next phase of work.
Sunderland’s new eye hospital will open next summer, offering a fit for the future building which will treat patients from across the region and beyond.
As part of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s commitment to the environment, it has a series of features built in to make it greener and more sustainable.
It will be the North East’s only all electricity hospital, with no gas to be used on site. The energy centre, which is a separate building close to Silksworth Row, is almost complete. This will help power the hospital, which will become home to services across three floors when they move from the aging Sunderland Eye Infirmary.
The centre has been given a green roof. This will not only boost the lifespan of the roof, but support biodiversity, improve air quality and reduce the need to heat and cool the structure.
A green roof has been added to the top of the energy centre which will power Sunderland's new Eye Hospital.
The hospital building itself will be fitted with 100-plus solar panels, which will help cut its CO2 emissions and generate some of its power from sunlight. It has been wrapped in protective sheeting while work continues to install the windows to the building. This will make it watertight and help work progress inside as fitting out continues.
The central location of the new hospital, which is part of the Riverside Sunderland development in the city centre, will help cut travel times and energy for most visitors and be more accessible through public transport.
Other features include:
- Paper-free at the point of care, with electronic patient records to be used instead of paper, designed especially with the eye care service in mind
- Air Source Heat Pumps will help heat and cool the building when and where needed
- Cycle storage next to the site
- Access to 100-plus EV charging points at the Riverside Multi-Storey Car Park
Work is also under way to look at recycling old equipment and furniture which will not make the move from the existing site on Queen Alexandra Road.
Solar panels have been added to the roof of the new Eye Hospital to help generate power for the building.
Fiona McKinley is the Trust’s Directorate Manager for Ophthalmology.
She said:
"All our departments are excited to be making the move to our new home in the city centre. The building has really come on in recent weeks and months and we can see it taking shape.
"The new building will continue a long legacy of offering eye care in our city, and while Sunderland Eye Infirmary is much-loved, a modern building will make a world of difference.
"A huge part of that will be the green features it has, which will not only mean it is a sustainable site which reduces our emissions and keeps running costs down, but will make it a more comfortable environment to work in, while we’ll have the latest technology on hand to help make the working days and nights more efficient.
"The environmental features also work towards the NHS Green Plan, which is an important part of our efforts to play our part in net zero and reduce waste and resources."
The building is being built by Kier and the development is a partnership with Sunderland City Council.
Protective sheeting has been put around the building as work continues on the new Eye Hospital.
Once open the hospital will offer care and treatment through its Emergency Department, the only dedicated eyesight service in the region.
It will also have a Retina Unit, which looks after patients with Macular conditions, imaging, where photos and scans are taken of the eye, a Treatment and Investigation Unit and a Surgical Day Unit.
The Out-Patient Department, Optometry, Orthoptics, in-patient ward, theatres and Cataract Treatment Centre and RNIB Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO) teams will join them in the move.
The hospital will also have its own dedicated Children’s Out-Patient Department, which is an addition to what is offered at the existing hospital.
The STS Charity, the Trust’s dedicated charity, is running the Vision Appeal to raise funds to make visiting and being treated at the hospital an even better experience. It will also support staff and bring in additional equipment which goes above and beyond the standard NHS kit.
To support the cause and find out more, visit the Trust’s STS Charity page: Vision Appeal
