A new Women's and Children's Hospital has been approved after the government reviewed the New Hospital Programme. It has been confirmed that the Royal Cornwall Hospital project will be in 'Wave 1' of funding in the New Hospital Programme.
Previously, the decision to fund and build the new hospital has been up in the air. Today's decision comes after continued pressure from residents and MPs and is a major win for the county.
Steve Williamson, RCHT Chief Executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted the government has recognised the importance of our scheme to proceed on our current timeline. We will now press ahead to deliver our Full Business Case for the main Women and Children’s Hospital scheme.
“Building a new Women and Children’s Hospital for the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has been an ambition for us for the last 20 years. Today’s news, on the back of last week’s confirmation we can start two of our essential enabling schemes immediately, means we can now make this a reality.
“Not only is this good news for our hospital and wider healthcare system, it is also excellent news for the local economy. As an anchor institution in Cornwall, we are determined to provide continued employment opportunities across the health and construction sectors, and deliver social value for the long-term prosperity of the county.
“We look forward to continuing our work with the New Hospital Programme and delivering this much-needed scheme over the next five years.”
The new hospital at the Treliske site will be a dedicated centre for maternity services, neonatal care and gynaecology services.
Liberal Democrat MP for the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Andrew George said: “I congratulate all involved pressing the case for this important hospital investment. It was shocking to discover that the last government failed to budget for their promised investment. This is a day for celebration. We look forward to seeing the project proceed full steam ahead.”
Andrew George thanked the Health Secretary Wes Streeting in the commons as it was confirmed the funding and construction will start in 2027-2029.
Truro and Falmouth MP Jayne Kirkham added: "I was really pleased to hear from the Health Secretary today that he has recognised how vital the Women’s and Children’s Unit is to Cornwall and it has been placed in the first wave of the new hospitals’ programme to be prioritised & commenced within this Parliament.
"Cornwall’s 4 Labour MPs have been pushing for this since we were elected on 4 July. We took the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, around the site almost exactly two years ago so he could see for himself.
"We all know that Boris Johnson and the Conservatives made promises they knew they couldn’t keep. I am therefore really pleased that the need in Cornwall has been recognised by this Labour Government."
