THE South West’s major trauma centre and acute specialist hospital at Derriford will benefit from a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Care Building after the Department of Health and Social Care rubber-stamped funding for the project.

Stuart Windsor, Future Hospital Director, said: “Since the announcement in January about support for our Emergency Care Building project, we have worked at pace to finish and submit the final business case for this much needed facility.

“We are thrilled the government has confirmed support for the full funding required to deliver the project. Construction has already started, and the new building will open in 2028, followed by the creation of a new children’s emergency facility.”

Health Minister Karin Smyth confirmed funding is available for schemes in the first wave of the New Hospital Programme, and now patients, including those from Cornwall, will benefit from a new integrated Emergency Care Building.

The new building will span four floors and provide a step change in terms of clinical accommodation. The ground floor will provide space for the sickest patients to be treated and include a full range of diagnostic imaging which is twice the capacity of the current facility.

The second floor will be dedicated to Same Day Emergency Care; where same day urgent hospital treatment is needed, but ongoing care is provided in the community. There will be a short stay area, and facilities for the most frail patients.

It will provide four new state-of-the-art theatres for diagnosis and treatment guided by modern imaging techniques on the third floor. In addition, five new theatres will be installed on the fourth floor for emergency and planned surgery.

Demolition of existing buildings are nearing completion and the principal construction partner will move onto site at the beginning of June 2025.