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Tolworth Messenger | December 2025 |
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Better Environments for Tolworth
| A new Tolworth is on the way!
As we come to the end of the year, we have so much to celebrate as we invest £110m to transform Tolworth Hospital. Nearly ten months on from our ground-breaking ceremony (and as you might have seen peeping over our boundary!) a brand-new hospital building is taking shape. |
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This will eventually provide a new home for five mental health wards, with seven in total operating from Tolworth when the new building opens in 2028.
A name for the future
And we have a name! Staff, patients, carers and people from across our community entered a range of creative suggestions over the autumn as part of our naming competition. From the final shortlist, Tala, Unity and Serenity, Tala came out on top in the public vote!
Tala reflects the history and heritage of our local area, and is the root of the ancient name for Tolworth (Taleorde) listed in the Domesday Book, the Great Survey of England and Wales completed in 1086. |
 | | A first look inside the new Tala Building |
Progress and next steps
Between March and October, Tala's foundations and main structure were completed. Roofing, façade, and internal works are well underway, with drainage, energy and mechanical and electrical installations also progressing.
Alongside the physical build, our construction partners have been actively engaging with the community, including running educational sessions with students at Tolworth Girls’ School (see more below). We have also begun hosting early-stage tours for our staff - check out our video above to see what they made of the new facilities so far.
And finally, we wanted to let you know that our construction site is now closed over the winter break, reopening on Monday 5 January. As ever, you can find contact details for both our Trust project team and Sir Robert McAlpine at the bottom of this email, should you need to get in touch with us in the coming months.
Thank you again for your continued support and patience over the past 12 months. Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and all the best for the new year. |
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|  | December 2025 to May 2026 at Tolworth
Key works ongoing
Over the coming months, work will continue to gather momentum. External brickwork on the new building will be completed, further defining the Tala Building’s appearance. Internally, walls will continue to be erected and boarded, while the installation of mechanical and electrical services progresses throughout the building. And underfloor heating and the main floor construction are also scheduled to be completed, moving us another step closer to creating high-quality, modern clinical environments. Detailed updates on our activities and any works near our site boundaries can be found in our partners' monthly letter drop - more information can also be found on our programme homepage.
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| Talking hospitals at Tolworth Girls' School | Inspiring the next generation at Tolworth Girls' School
Last month colleagues from Sir Robert McAlpine had the pleasure of attending a Year 10 Curriculum Day at Tolworth Girls’ School, where 240 students took part in a real-world construction and healthcare design challenge inspired by our ongoing work at Tolworth Hospital.
During a fast-paced four-hour workshop, students were introduced to the built environment, the wide range of careers within construction, and the importance of patient-centred design in modern healthcare. After a short briefing, they were challenged to design a brand-new, state-of-the-art mental health hospital for the NHS, using a professional design brief based on the principles applied at Tolworth Hospital.
Working in groups, the students developed concept designs that balanced functionality and safety with compassion, inclusivity, and therapeutic thinking. Given the sensitivity and importance of mental health, it was inspiring to see how thoughtfully and maturely they approached the task.
It was also encouraging to see the next generation engage so meaningfully with the built environment and demonstrate a clear understanding of why mental health facilities need to be designed with care, humanity, and intention. A huge thank you to Tolworth Girls’ School, their students, and our colleagues at Sir Robert McAlpine for helping make the morning such a success. |
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| An exterior view of the new hospital under construction | |
Working hours Please note that the construction site will be closed down between 19 December and 4 January, reopening on Monday 5 January.
Once we return, our current approved working hours for the coming period are: Should any other extended hours be agreed with the council in special circumstances we will be in touch with residents on the site boundary via our partners' monthly letter drops. |
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| An interior view of the new hospital under construction | |
Get in touch |
Throughout the programme you can get in touch about Tolworth's redevelopment by emailing BetterEnvironments@swlstg.nhs.uk. This email inbox is monitored 9am - 5pm from Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) and we aim to provide responses within five working days.
For queries related to construction and site management please email the team at Sir Robert McAlpine at tolworth@srm.com or call their site hotline on 0800 061 2879 - this is monitored during working hours, excluding Bank Holidays.
Find more information at swlstg.nhs.uk/redeveloping-tolworth-hospital
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