What are RCHT’s plans for the new Women and Children’s Hospital?
Our plan is to bring together all of our acute women, children’s and maternity services together into one co-located space. Our new hospital will provide better care and experiences for patients and families in a modern, digitally-enhanced space that’s been designed around future healthcare needs.
Our new Women and Children’s Hospital is the biggest ever healthcare investment in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It will transform acute services in the county for generations to come.
Why do we need this new hospital?
The co-location of women’s and children’s services is the next phase of our bigger site development plan. The current Princess Alexandra Wing (PAW) is not suitable for the ongoing delivery of modern maternity services. The cost of the works required to update the current building to current healthcare standards would exceed those for the new building over its lifetime.
We are not just re-providing maternity services; we are creating a whole new hospital that will co-locate all women’s and children’s services into one location. This improves patient safety, care, and efficiencies across all the departments, for both patients and staff.
Why is it called the “Women and Children’s Hospital”?
It is called the Women and Children’s Hospital whilst we receive funding from the New Hospital Programme, as this is how the scheme is referenced at national level.
Once built, we will seek to give the new hospital a different name, in keeping with the other units and buildings on site at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. We may ask our stakeholders for suggestions – nearer the time.
Our new hospital will also be the new main entrance too, which means the exterior will likely be branded “Royal Cornwall Hospital.
Where is the proposed location for the new Women and Children’s Hospital?
Our new Women and Children’s Hospital will be built on part of the Royal Cornwall Hospital site in Truro. The new preferred way forward places the new building at the front of our site, next to the Trelawny Wing entrance. It will take the foot print of the current microbiology building together with car parks 1A and 1B.
The pathology enabling scheme will see a new Pathology unit constructed in the Link Corridor area at the centre of the site between Tower Block and Trelawny Wing. This will bring together microbiology, haematology, blood sciences and the mortuary.
Which services are included in the new hospital?
The new Women and Children’s Hospital, which will also provide the site’s new main entrance, will bring together all women and children’s services into one building. Services will include Maternity, Neonatal and Paediatric Care; Obstetrics; and Gynaecology.
Will there be more patient beds in the new hospital?
No. All rooms will be single patient rooms, with ensuite bathrooms. Hospital theatres and units will be a lot bigger, in line with the latest healthcare building standards. Patient flow and clinical practices will be transformed as part of the new hospital. Much of the systems will be also digitised, improving efficiencies and lowering the need for (longer) hospital stays whilst still maintaining patient safety and outstanding care.
What influenced the decision to switch the location of the Women and Children’s Hospital from the centre of the site?
The previous location between Trelawny Wing and Tower Block fitted with our Clinical Site Development Plan at the time, which in turn responded to the development plans for Truro. A lot has changed since then in the last few years – politically, economically and socially.
The pause in the whole New Hospital Programme in 2024 enabled us to review the overall plans against the critical success factors and the investment objectives outlined in our original outline business case. With the new funding envelope and construction timeline from the current Government, it’s been important to make sure that we are still on the right course to deliver everything we want for our patients and staff, and do so within these parameters.
Our new preferred location presents far less risk for the scheme (in terms of completing on time and to budget) and fits better for the Hospital 2.0 design template and requirements to use methods of modern sustainable construction.
How is the new Women and Children’s Hospital funded and how much is it costing?
Our new Women and Children’s Hospital is funded as part of the national New Hospital Programme. We are in “Wave 1” along with 10 other hospitals in England. The budget for our programme is £410 million.
When will it be built?
Wave 1 schemes within the New Hospital Programme are due to complete in 2032. Our plan is start building the new Women and Children’s Hospital in 2029 and complete in 2032.
Why is it taking that long to start building?
There is a lot of background work that needs to be completed. Concept designs, more detailed clinical designs, technical designs, planning applications, extensive approval processes right up to Government Treasury levels, several enabling works, ground works – and so on.
Has anything been done already in preparation?
We have already started (and completed) several of the enabling schemes.
The first project completed in April 2023, when the derelict Penventinnie Lane houses were demolished to make way for a contractors’ compound.
In the summer 2024, we re-provided 176 car parking spaces and created 50 additional blue badge spaces in our largest car park (1C). This was when we were just going to develop over Car Park 1A. Now that Car Park 1B is also going to be built over, plans for further reprovision of parking spaces are being developed as part of a broader transport plans.
We are also progressing the Cardiac Department relocation from the Link Corridor to the first floor of Trelawny Wing in the Outpatients block. It’s also nearer to the Cardiology Investigation Unit and Coronary Care Unit. This project will complete at the end of 2026 and will make way for the new Pathology building.
We’re also working with NGED (National Grid) to ensure we have more electrical supply on site by the time our new hospital is open. They’re already lined up to provide additional electrical supply from Shortlanesend village to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and one of our projects on site will be to extend an existing substation to be able to receive the additional electrical capacity. This project should complete at the end of 2027.
For the main build (our new Women and Children’s Hospital) we’re due to submit our updated Hospital 2.0 concept designs for approval in March 2027. Our outline planning application will be submitted to Cornwall Council in November 2026. Throughout 2027, we will be working up the more detailed designs with our clinical teams and construction partner to get all the clinical and technical details aligned and ready. Then there is another round of approvals in 2028 before we can start building!
What are Hospital 2.0 designs?
Hospital 2.0 designs are a standardised, modern approach developed by the national New Hospital Programme to build and deliver new NHS hospitals in England. Instead of designing every new facility completely from scratch, this framework uses repeatable templates, standardised room layouts for clinical areas like wards and operating theatres, and a centralised “kit of parts” that individual trusts can adapt to their local sites.
Core features include 100% single ensuite bedrooms to improve infection control, privacy and patient dignity. The new hospitals will use modern methods of construction – relying on off-site manufacturing of modular units – smart digital integration, and optimised clinical adjacencies.
How does this link to the Hospital 2.0 Alliance?
Hospital 2.0 is an entire new system created by the New Hospital Programme and the Hospital 2.0 Alliance is the commercial approach that has been adopted. At its heart is the idea of NHS Trusts, construction companies and national New Hospital Programmes working together. You can read more about the H2.0 Alliance here.
Who is building the new hospital?
A company called Willmott Dixon. They were “matched” with us through the New Hospital Programme Hospital 2.0 Alliance process and we’re delighted to have then on board with us.
They are currently working on the Emergency Care Unit at Derriford (University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust) so they have a lot of experience of working in the region and in the healthcare sector. They will also have a ready-made supply chain that can start to work on our scheme once they complete their work in Plymouth.
When do we get to see what the Women and Children’s Hospital will look like?
Concept designs will be revealed in October 2026. We’ll be making sure our RCHT colleagues and key stakeholders are the first to see them and provide their feedback. We’ll also be seeking opinion from many other stakeholders including patient groups associated with Women and Children’s Services, and Core20PLUS5 communities, as well as a public engagement in early to mid-2027.
Has the redesign led to compromises?
The principles of what was designed previously in terms of improved patient pathways and the necessary and desired co-location of services (such as theatres on the second floor to link in with our Trelawny Wing theatres) remain. And the demand and capacity modelling has ensured we are designing our services well into the future. However, there will be an element of redesign and refinement because we have agreed to design our new hospital according to the Hospital 2.0 design templates. One of the key elements of the H2.0 design principles are 100% single rooms of all which are ensuite.
Look out for invitations to attend engagement events.
Where will the main entrance be?
We will need to create a new main entrance as the current entrance to Trelawny Wing at the Royal Cornwall Hospital will no longer be viable. Plans currently suggest that it will be created as part of the new Women and Children’s Hospital, and positioned between the two main wings. More details will emerge as the programme team works through the more detailed designs.
Where will everyone park if we’re building over car parks?
We have already re-provided for the lost car parking spaces in Car Park 1A. It was one of our early enabling schemes to provide 176 spaces in the gravel pit car park. (It was a pre-commencement planning requirement for when we were going to building the pathology extension there as part of the earlier designs.)
We will be required to re-provide further lost car parking spaces as a result of building our new hospital over Car Park 1B. At the moment, the current thinking is to add a “deck” to Car Park 1C which will become the main patient and visitor car park. However, this idea will be explored further as part of the overarching transport plan is developed for the Royal Cornwall Hospital.
The reconfiguration of parking users will be reviewed as we get closer to the start date for the build in 2029.
How accessible will the new Women and Children’s Hospital be?
The new hospital will be highly accessible in accordance to latest design standards. Our Accessibility Advisory Group is involved at all stages of the design process so that the broadest range of physical, non-visible, sensory and cognitive conditions are accommodated. Digital technology will also enhance the inclusive masterplanning as we review arrival points, wayfinding, reception areas, circulation routes, lighting and acoustics.
How will the plans work for Pathology?
The south side of the Link Corridor would be redeveloped to bring several of our pathology services together at the heart of our site. The Pathology building will bring microbiology services closer to our blood science laboratories, and the mortuary. We can answer this question in more detail once the refreshed designs have been worked up.
Would you still be able to walk between Trelawny Wing and Tower Block?
Yes, but the “hospital street” may be moved to the north or south to facilitate the redeveloped area. We can answer this question in more detail once the refreshed designs have been worked up.
Who’s going to build the new pathology building?
The procurement route for new pathology building is yet to be determined but early discussions are underway.
I have other questions which are not addressed here. Who can I ask?
If you have any further questions, please contact us via email: rcht.buildingprogramme@nhs.net