Project: Women and Children’s Hospital
This page was last updated: October 31st, 2022
The new Women and Children’s Hospital will have dedicated operating theatres to support the birthing suites, as well as dedicated operating theatres for gynaecological surgery. There will be a Paediatric Assessment Unit for children who require urgent ambulatory care, and the Fertility Service will remain on site, with a range of therapies offered including support during early pregnancy.
A retail pharmacy, café, and other support facilities such as a breast feeding and nursing room and dedicated toilets with a baby change area and a Changing Places facility, will be located in the new Main Entrance. A new Therapeutic Play Garden is also being created a short walk across the Royal Cornwall Hospital site to provide children and families an opportunity to relax away from the busy hospital environment.
The new Women and Children’s hospital will provide a modern, safe, and welcoming environment for patients, staff, and the wider community in Cornwall. Benefits will include:
- A state-of-the-art facility built to deliver sustainability and built using modern construction methods to support Cornwall’s net zero carbon ambitions. The local health system’s Green Plan for Cornwall (2020 – 2030) states the sustainability goals for the county and how they may be achieved.
- A purpose-built Women and Children’s hospital for safer, more efficient care, for these patient groups.
- New ways of working for hospital staff; and improved ways of caring for babies, parents, and the young people of Cornwall.
- Digital innovations and enhancements to enable the use of sensory areas; interactive care pathways; and the ability to connect families and carers remotely in the delivery of care and the support of the patient.
Disruption
To make way for the new building, services to be relocated to other locations on the hospital site include:
- Cardiac Department
- Pathology Department and Mortuary
- Haematology Clinic and Laboratories
- Retail Pharmacy and some Pharmacy support accommodation
- Hospital Supplies Delivery and Receipting Unit
- Trauma Assessment Unit
Project teams are already in place working on the plans to relocate these services with minimal disruption.
The six residential houses, which stand along Penventinnie Lane opposite the Dermatology building, are no longer in use and will be demolished to make way for the construction site compound during spring 2022.
There will be regular communication and updates about the new developments, and any disruption to services or access to the hospital, as these changes are planned in detail and then delivered.
We apologise in advance for the inconvenience the construction work will cause; however we hope you agree that this exciting building programme is essential to delivering better healthcare facilities for the future.
Ecology
This garden was removed in 2020 to make way for the construction of the Tremenel Unit (previously the Progressive Recovery Unit). The new Therapeutic Play Garden will be located behind Wheal Prosper Ward and adjacent to the new Impact building (behind the Princess Alexandra Wing). Work on this garden starts in January 2022.
During the final design phases for the new hospital we will be seeking ideas on a range of opportunities for sustainability and biodiversity. Patients, staff, and the wider community are invited to offer ideas and feedback via our dedicated email rcht.buildingbrilliance@nhs.net.
