HEALTH and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has confirmed that the long-awaited building programme at Derriford Hospital’s Emergency Care department will officially go ahead.

Monday’s announcement marks a significant milestone for Plymouth and its surrounding communities, including parts of North and East Cornwall, which rely heavily on the hospital’s services.

Concerns had been raised that the Conservative’s New Hospital Programme was in jeopardy after Labour won the General Election last July.

However, Mr Streeting admitted the programme - which formed part of the Tories 2019 election manifesto - was ‘undeliverable and unaffordable’ and led to Labour reviewing the entire plans, which had previously committed to deliver ‘40 new hospitals’ by 2030.

In its annual report, published last week, the Infrastructure Projects Authority deemed the previous scheme ‘unachievable’ rating the programme as red and highlighting major issues with the schedule and budget. An independent IPA review upgraded the New Hospitals Programme from a red to amber rating last week, thanks to action taken to improve deliverability.

Derriford’s new A&E building programme was among those potentially at risk of not proceeding, but Mr Streeting confirmed works would go ahead as part of Wave One, which have been prioritised for patient and staff safety, and is expected to begin construction between 2025 and 2030.

Also included in the Wave One schedule is a new Women and Children’s Hospital at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

“The New Hospital Programme we inherited was unfunded and undeliverable,” said Mr Streeting. “Not a single new hospital was built in the past five years and there was no credible funding plan to build 40 in the next five years.

“When I walked into the Department of Health and Social Care, I was told the funding for the New Hospitals Programme runs out in March. We were determined to put the programme on a firm footing, so we can build the new hospitals our NHS need. Today we are setting out an honest, funded and deliverable programme to rebuild our NHS.”

Building an NHS estate fit for the future is key to the Government’s Plan for Change, which aims to get the health service back on its feet and reduce waiting times. At the budget, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced health capital spending in the NHS is set to increase to record levels of £13.6 billion in 2025-26.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said: “We’re delighted that following the government announcement of the New Hospital Programme review outcome, the new Emergency Care Building at Derriford Hospital can now proceed at pace.

“The new state-of-the-art facility will replace the Trust’s current Emergency Department, which is not fit for purpose, by creating space to care in a modern healthcare environment that our community has long required.”

The New Hospital Programme is just one part of the government’s wider commitment to transforming the NHS estate. Over £1 billion has been set aside to make inroads into the existing backlog of critical maintenance, repairs and upgrades, while £102 million has been dedicated for upgrades to GP surgeries across England as a first step towards transforming the primary care estate.