Hospital bosses welcome news that new hospital will go-ahead as planned

Tuesday, 21 January 2025 10:19

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) has welcomed confirmation that the new Women and Children’s Hospital will proceed as planned.

The announcement follows the outcome of the Government’s review of the New Hospital Programme. The Cornwall project will be part of Wave 1, set for delivery between now and 2030. Other projects will fall into Wave 2 or 3, extending up to 2039 - ten years beyond the original deadline.

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.”

Noah Law, MP for Newquay and St Austell, also welcomed the news, saying:

"The Tories promised 40 new hospitals, without proper funding or project plans. We will not play games with the NHS. We are funding a suite of new health facilities, including new elective surgery hubs and mental health units. This represents the biggest capital investment the UK has seen in the NHS since Labour was last in power 14 years ago when waiting times were at an all-time low and satisfaction at an all-time high."

The Shadow Health Secretary - Ed Argar accused the government of breaking promises and financial mismanagement accusing Wes Streeting of deciding not to prioritise the delivery of new hospitals.