Government confirms first stage of Women and Children's Unit at Treliske

The Health Secretary has confirmed works to progress the first steps of the new Women and Children’s Hospital at Treliske have been approved.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals' NHS Trust has been working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care on the development of the scheme and recently submitted a request for enabling works to support the delivery of the wider hospital.

Now the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, has confirmed that has been successful.

Last month we told you the site could be delayed until 2027 because of a rise in construction costs, which meant they were having to review the budget and submit a new business case to the government.

On Friday, Mr Barclay said: "This step in progressing these vital works for the scheme demonstrates our commitment to delivering a new hospital for Cornwall, ensuring staff and patients have access to and benefit from world class facilities, as part of this transformational programme".

The MP for Truro and Falmouth had written a letter to the Mr Barclay, asking him to look into the issue and inviting him to come to Cornwall to find out about the project.

Cherilyn Mackrory said: "The new women and children’s hospital at the Treliske site is one I have worked on since my election to help realise follow its announcement in 2019.

“This has involved a great deal of hard work from the team at RCHT and the Department for Health and Social Care, and I am pleased to have today's confirmation from the Secretary of State for Health that the next step of this crucial project can now proceed, with more developments promised later this year".

She said: "I will continue to work with all involved to help deliver this new hospital for women and children across Cornwall".

The Women and Children's Unit was part of Boris Johnson's pledge to build 40 new hospitals across the UK, as part of a £850 million project.

It was originally planned for completion by 2024, however no new date has been confirmed.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.

• women and children's unit
• treliske
• royal cornwall hospital