Accessibility to hospital sites during construction
This page was last updated: February 8th, 2023
This may be particularly difficult when seeking to park a vehicle or when arriving at drop off and pick up zones, and we apologise in advance for the inconvenience and stress this may cause for all users of our sites. We are currently updating our Site Maps to show the new buildings both planned and currently under construction and the best arrangements for parking and vehicle drop off associated with those areas of the sites.
We know our sites are already limited in terms of space, but we monitor the situation in terms of accessible parking, and pedestrian and vehicle access and, where possible, we will publish advance warning of changes due to the construction works.
Some access and parking constraints may be for a matter of hours or days (for example, to lay cables); other changes are much longer term as they are due to a whole construction project taking over new space on the hospital site.
In addition, we need to provide site accommodation for the construction workers and maintain our diagnostic scanner parking spaces on level ground close to hospital buildings. Where we are forced to remove amenities, we will do our best to replace them, or reinstate them, as soon as we possibly can.
Our project management and construction teams work closely with a range of accessibility and architectural design consultants, community groups and individual patients and visitors to hear first-hand the lived experience of our stakeholders and to ensure that disruption is minimised every step of the way.
We are committed to re-providing accessible parking bays wherever possible, within the physical and planning constraints of the site itself; and we are continuing to review options to provide suitable temporary solutions for patients, carers, staff and visitors whilst the construction projects are in progress.
Current Construction Works
Royal Cornwall Hospital
Tower Block, Princess Alexandra Wing and Eye Unit
There is no longer direct access to the Tower Block via the Main Tower Entrance. Alternative routes are via the Link Corridor Entrance, and via the Eye Unit Entrance behind the Tower Block and to the east of the Emergency Department. (The Eye Unit entrance is well signposted as you approach the construction site in a vehicle.)
Parking spaces, and the drop off zones in this part of the site, are restricted to some limited accessible parking spaces outside the front of the Princess Alexandra Wing, and along the short approach to the Eye Unit Entrance.
There are six accessible parking bays outside the front of the Princess Alexandra Wing. There are also a further six accessible parking bays in the small car park next to the Emergency Department, although at certain times these may be restricted temporarily.
Dolphin House and Trelawny Wing
Whilst the new MRI and Oncology Unit is being constructed, parking bays and the drop off zone outside the Trelawny entrance have been reduced. The nearest accessible parking bays can be found in the main Trelawny car park opposite the Trelawny Main Entrance.
There is no access to the car park next to Dolphin House for the duration of the construction works. The nearest accessible parking spaces are in the Mermaid Centre car park and in the additional “overflow” car park across the road from the Microbiology Building. A wheelchair friendly entrance to Dolphin House can be reached via a well-lit fixed gravel path from the road, opposite the Duchy Hospital entrance.
Link Corridor
There is a temporary MRI Scanner located on the north side of the Link Corridor entrance. Alternative accessible parking for the Link Corridor entrance is located either on the south side of the Link Corridor in the area adjacent to the Emergency Department, or a few metres away from the north entrance to the Link Corridor, outside the Sunrise Centre.
St. Michaels Hospital
West Cornwall Hospital
Regular Updates
You will find more information about temporary access limitations, and reprovisions, for each of the projects on the individual project pages.
Additionally, please follow us on social media where we regularly update information about short-term changes to access for all the new buildings and construction works @BuildingRcht (Twitter) and @RCHTBuildingBrilliance (Facebook).
If you wish to contact us regarding accessibility issues during the construction phases on any site at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, please email rcht.buildingbrilliance@nhs.net.
