Sick children and their families will benefit from a new multi-million ward block planned for Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Children’s services has beaten cancer services as the speciality to be housed in a new £28 million ward block planned for the hospital site.

The board of directors of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust met this week to make the final decision. The public had been asked to join with staff, patients and governors of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to decide whether cancer services or children’s services should be housed in the ward block, as both had a good case to make.

As a result of the consultation, the ward block two panel recommended to the board of directors that children’s services should be the preferred option, replacing wards 16 and 17.

Dean Johnson, director of planning and performance at the foundation trust, said: “The panel recognised that both services had a good case to make, but what tipped it was that children’s services have so outgrown their current accommodation.”

The whole development is subject to satisfactory financial performance and the delivery of a £50 million saving plan. No contracts will be signed until an assessment of the financial situation in April 2012.

Read more on this story in today's T&A