Winning the Bid

In July 2005, London was successful in its bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Homerton held their own high profile campaign.

As part of the bid, the NHS committed to:

“Provide free comprehensive healthcare to Olympic and Paralympic family members throughout their stay for the Games whilst still providing healthcare for our local residents”.

Key dates

• Hackney Marshes Radio 1 and 2 concert 23/06/2012 - 24/06/2012 click here for more information
• Torch Relay in Hackney 21/07/2012
• Opening Ceremony for Olympic Games 27/07/2012
• Closing Ceremony 12/08/2012
• Opening Ceremony for Paralympic Games 29/08/2012
• Closing Ceremony 09/09/2012

What will the Olympics mean for the hospital?

Homerton is the designated hospital for the athletes. This means that any athlete requiring hospital admission will be sent to us. There will also be a large polyclinic on the Olympic site which will treat many conditions.

We may also experience some increase in hospital attendances from the general public due to the increased numbers of visitors in the area. 

Evidence from previous games suggests that these will be mainly minor illnesses, slips and trips and sunburn.

The Hospital will carry on with all its usual activity and healthcare for our local population will be unaffected.

We may also see an increase in overseas visitors to the hospital. Our Overseas Visitors Officer will be working to ensure all staff are fully briefed on how to review patients’ entitlement to free NHS treatment. Click here to read the DH guidelines.

How are we preparing?

We have a steering group working on preparations for the Olympics covering operational planning, emergency planning and estates and facilities.

We also have close links with Hackney Council, NHSLondon 2012, the Department of Health and the London Organising Committee for the Olympics.

What will it mean for you?

Opportunities

• Volunteering – Did you apply to become a volunteer?  Don’t forget to let us know.  We would love to hear about your experiences. 
• Tickets – you can still apply for tickets to the paralympic games!  Visit the London 2012 website for more information.  Don’t forget there are also some free events that anyone can watch such as the marathon, swimming marathon and cycle road race
• Local Events – Victoria Park will be a live site for the Olympics with a big screen and events running throughout the games
• Torch Relay – Comes through Hackney on 21st July 2012.  
• Get fit – Don’t forget there are lots of borough wide initiatives. Visit the Hackney Council website for more information. 

Travel

The Olympic route network will start to be operational from June 2012. London is the first public transport games, so trains, tubes and buses will all be much busier than usual during this period. 

Your usual journey to the hospital is likely to be affected. You can check here for information about travel plans in your area.

There are a number of TfL websites designed to help you plan for the Olympics. These include a map showing the daily hot spots and detailed maps of the traffic management changes for specific areas.

• Detailed area maps of ORN and PRN: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/18196.aspx
• ORN Map Overview: http://www.london2012.com/olympic-route-network/maps/orn-overview.pdf
• TfL ORN How will transport be affected (includes presentation outlining transport concerns): http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/london2012/21819.aspx
• Day by day hot spots: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/london2012/21806.aspx
• Tube and rail hot spots: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/london2012/21787.aspx
• Competition Schedule: http://www.london2012.com/games/sport-competition-schedules/olympic-sport-competition-schedule.php
• Downloadable pdf detail maps of road hot spots:http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/business-network/travel-advice-for-business/are-you-in-an-affected-area/

Parking

There will be additional controlled parking zones in operation. We are working closely with council colleagues.