The Royal London Childrens Hospital
Showing you around
Showing you around
Join our patients as they take you on a tour of Young Barts Health at The Royal London Children's Hospital.
Welcome to the Royal London Children's Hospital
Visit The Royal London Hospital
Switchboard 020 7377 7000
The Royal London Hospital is located in Whitechapel in east London, within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. You can travel to hospital in a number of ways including on foot, by car, by bike or by public transport. Plan your journey using the Transport for London journey planner or through the travel information below.
TfL can offer advice on planning a journey using an accessible route and can provide a mentor to come with you for your first few journeys to help you gain confidence and become an independent traveller, to find out more complete TfL’s form online.
By bus
The following buses stop outside or close to the Royal London Hospital, 25 (24 hour service), 106, 205 and 254 on Whitechapel Road as well as night buses N205 and N253, the D3 on New Road, 15, 115 and 135 as well as night buses N15 and N550 on Commercial Road. Low-floor wheelchair accessible buses run on all routes serving The Royal London Hospital.
By tube
The closest underground station is Whitechapel a 6 minute walk from the Royal London Hospital, which is served by the Hammersmith and City line and the District line as well as the London Overground.
By train
Liverpool Street is the nearest National Rail station a 29 minute walk away. Alternatively you can take the Hammersmith and City line from Whitechapel to Liverpool Street Station.
Freedom passes
The travel pass for disabled people allows free travel across London and free bus journeys nationally. You can use your pass on most journeys across London but there are a few exceptions to when and where you can use your card.
To find out more about the above listed Freedom passes visit the London Councils website.
By car or taxi
There is no public parking at the hospital itself so we encourage patients and visitors not to travel by car wherever this is possible. If you do need to drive there is limited metered/phone parking available on streets around The Royal London Hospital. Meters can be found on Turner Street, Ashfield Street, Varden Street and Cavell Street where you can stay for a maximum of 4 hours at a charge of £3.80 per hour.
If you need to be dropped off or picked up, The Royal London Hospital operates a one-way system along Stepney Way road and allows for drop off and pick up in designated laybys, with a maximum stay of 10-minutes.
Infopoint help-points allow you to make free calls to taxi companies and public transport information lines to arrange your journey home. There are infopoints located at the main entrance of the Royal London Hospital, Stepney Way entrance, Dental Hospital entrance, A&E entrance, Women's and Children's entrance, Children's A&E entrance and Luckes entrance.
Blue badge holders
There are a small number of parking bays for drivers with Blue Badges, these are accessed via Raven Row. Drivers who are registered disabled and have a blue badge can also check where to park at on the Tower Hamlets website.
Congestion charge zone
The Royal London hospital is situated just outside the congestion charging zone. If you need to drive through the zone to get to hospital, you are required to pay the charge, although there are some exemptions and discounts. These include:
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those with disabilities who hold a blue badge
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residents living within the congestion charging zone
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drivers of alternative fuel vehicles
A full list of categories of drivers/vehicles eligible for exemptions and details of how to pay the charge can be found on the Transport for London congestion charging website. To qualify for an exemption or discount you must register with Transport for London.
Refunds of hospital transport costs
You may be able to claim a refund for the cost of your transport to hospital through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) if you:
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are not eligible for patient transport services (PTS)
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cannot afford the cost of travelling to hospital
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cannot get a friend or relative to take you
Refer to Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) for more information on who is eligible, what the conditions are and how you can access the scheme.
By bike
We encourage visitors, staff and patients living nearby to cycle to the hospital if possible. Cycle parking facilities are available around the hospital.
There are several cycle routes in the area surrounding the hospital including Cycle Superhighway route 2 (CS2), which runs along the A11 Whitechapel road from Stratford to Aldgate.
The hospital appears on TfL’s Local Cycling Guide 7. You can order this guide for free by calling 0343 222 1234.
Santander cycle hire docking stations are available to hire and dock bikes near to the Royal London Hospital at:
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Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel (on Whitechapel road closest to the main entrance to the hospital)
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New Road 1, Whitechapel (closest to the Royal London Dental Hospital)
Children's emergency department at The Royal London Hospital
Our children's (paediatric) emergency department cares for children from new-born to 17 years old. Anyone attending after their 18th birthday will be directed to the adult area.
Children aged 16 and over who require admission to The Royal London Hospital as in inpatient will usually be admitted to an adult ward under the care of the appropriate adult team.
Children over 16 years old who are under ongoing care of specialist teams at our children's hopsital and yet to transition to adult services will continue to be admitted to one of our children’s wards.
Patients who come to the department are cared for by a dedicated team of nurses and doctors who are also supported by our health play specialists.
Patients needing to be seen by one of our specialty teams will usually be seen in the department. Patients needing a longer period of assessment may be admitted to our paediatric clinical decision unit (PCDU) located next to emergency department, or transferred to the paediatric assessment unit (PAU) located within the children’s hospital.
Facilities
There is a breastfeeding room in our waiting room and two rooms with baby changing facilities. We keep a small number of nappies in the department but wherever possible please bring a supply with you.
There is a vending machine in the main adult waiting room, and there are shops on Whitechapel Road just a few minutes walk away.
If you are asked to stay for observation, then staff can arrange a snack box or a hot meal. If your child has specific food and drink requirements, then please try wherever possible to bring these with you.
There are toys to help distract children while they are waiting to be seen. Our play specialists will help support children needing distraction when they are available. If you know your child would benefit from a specific distraction toy/device, then please try wherever possible to bring it with you.
Children's emergency department
Wherever possible we ask that only one parent/ guardian and no other sibilings attend the children's emergency department with a child that needs to be assessed.
There are some exceptions where patients can attend with more than one visitor:
- Critically unwell patients
- Those under 28 days
- Those with significant learning disability or complex needs requiring two people to look after them
- Children who are being admitted and are resident in a PED cubicle awaiting admission can have two parents sit with them inside the cubicle
If you wish to contact a parent of a child in the department please call their personal phone. If for any reason you are unable to reach them, then please call the main hospital switchboard on 020 3377 7000 and ask to be transferred to the children's emergency department.
Caring for children with additional needs
We know that for children and young people with additional needs, the children's emergency department environment can be overwhelming due to the light, sound and activity. Please let the nurse who sees you at your initial assessment know if your child has additional needs and may require some additional accommodation.
Our department is accredited by National Autistic Society and wherever possible, we will try to accommodate any child or young person with additional needs in a quieter area. We can also provide sensory play equipment on request.
If your child or young person has any specific food or distraction device requirements or if they require any sensory protection equipment, please try wherever possible to bring this with you as we cannot guarantee we can provide specific equipment that meets every individual's needs.
Further information
Our AccessAble tool helps visitors with a diasibility to navigate around the hospital and there is more information about the support we offer to patients with learning disabilities on our website.
Our wards
| 6th Floor | 7th floor |
|---|---|
| 6B Day Care Medical and Surgery | 7C Paediatric Assessment Short Stay Unit, PASSU |
| 6C Paediatric Critical Care Unit, PCCU | 7D Surgery and Trauma |
| Children's Theatres | 7Ea Specialist Medicine |
| Children's Outpatients | 7Eb Respiratory |
| Children's Therapies | 7F gastroenterology |
| Children's Outpatients | |
| Discharge Lounge | |
| Paediatric Rapid Assessment Clinic |
Our facilities
Overnight accommodation
We can offer overnight accommodation for the relatives of patients being admitted to the hospital or for patients who attend the hospital for regular treatment. We can also provide facilities for patients prior to their appointment who have to travel a long way to attend the hospital for complex investigations or treatment, but who do not need to be readmitted to a ward. Please ask the ward staff or pre-admission staff to see if this accommodation would be suitable for you, or your relatives, at any stage of your treatment.
James Hora Home at The Royal London Hospital provides accommodation for relatives and carers supporting critical care patients and surgical patients. The home can also offer accommodation to outpatients who would have difficulty getting to the hospitals to attend appointments, to pre-admission patients prior to their surgery and to some patients prior to their hospital treatment.
The home can accommodate up to 26 guests. Please speak to a member of the ward/clinic staff about a referral to stay in James Hora Home or call them on 07880 553525.
Stevenson House on Ashfield Street is available for the families of children admitted to The Royal London for long stays. It is a 16 bedded house and includes two fully-equipped kitchens, 10 bathrooms, a large shared living room, a playroom and laundry facilities. Direct phone lines connect the wards to family bedrooms. The Sick Children's Trust provides the 'Home from Home' accommodation in Stevenson House, they are a voluntary organisation that do not charge for the stay and rely entirely on donations.
Enquiries should be made via the house manager on telephone 020 7791 2604.
Multi-faith chaplaincy centre
Chaplains of many faiths are available to speak to all patients, relatives and carers. The chaplaincy team welcomes everyone, whatever your faith or beliefs and whether or not you follow a religion. Information about your religious preference will be passed to the chaplaincy. If you do not wish this to happen, please inform a member of staff.
Telephones
There are payphones and direct lines to taxi companies on the ground floor of the main hospital building at the Whitechapel entrance.
Restaurant and kiosk
There is a kiosk selling hot and cold beverages, fruit and snacks in the Stepney Way atrium which is open 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday.
The staff, patient and visitor restaurant is located on the fifth floor of the main building. It is open daily 7.30am to 7pm, including weekends and bank holidays. With impressive views of the surrounding area, the restaurant has 180 seats and serves a varied menu to cater for a range of diets. A selection of hot and cold foods are available in the restaurant.
In the restaurant is a vending machine and water dispenser which are accessible 24 hours a day throughout the week. Find out about disabled access to the restaurant.
Costa Coffee has two cafes on site, one located in the dental hospital on Turner Street and the other at the Whitechapel entrance to the main hospital building.
Cash point
There is a cash point on the wall of the medical college student union building, opposite the outpatients department in Stepney Way.
Cashiers office
A cashier’s office is available on the second floor of the main hospital building, outside of the fracture clinic.
Toilets
Public male, female and disabled toilets are accessible on all floors of the hospital outside of wards.
Wifi
Free wifi is available throughout the hospital for patients. There’s no time limit on use, and capacity has been expanded in order to ensure continuous access for as many users as possible.
Please note that the wifi cannot support streaming movies or high-intensity computer games.
The wifi can be accessed by completing the following steps:
- Connect to the NHS Wi-Fi wireless network
- Open your web browser
- From the welcome page, accept the terms and conditions
- Browse the internet and send and receive emails
If you encounter any problems please call the 24/7 helpdesk on 0344 848 9555.
Say hello to Sunny
You'll be seeing them around
They are here to make sure that you aren't alone when you visit Young Barts Health at The Royal London Children's Hospital.
We know that coming into a hospital can be daunting, but whatever you are here for, they are with you every step of the way.
What's on the menu
We have dedicated menus for children and young people