New Outpatient Department confirmed for West Cornwall Hospital

A new Outpatient Department is to be built at West Cornwall Hospital which will be open to patients by the end of March 2025. This follows confirmation of the allocation of funding, and an approval to proceed with the submission of the Full Business Case (FBC) from NHS England (NHSE).  The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has welcomed the news that this much-needed scheme can now go ahead.

The project will be slightly smaller than planned, as the funding provision is the same amount as was originally allocated in summer 2021. The project team has therefore had to factor in inflation, and the other supply chain cost increases in the last 2 years, to remain within budget.

Although plans for improvements to the future delivery of outpatient services at West Cornwall Hospital will not be affected, the transfer of services from Bellair Clinic will no longer be included in the scheme, which will now progress quickly to be ready by March 2025. 

RCHT is currently in discussion with Cornwall Council’s Planning Department regarding non-material changes to the previous planning application to allow the designs to be approved without delay. Any further design amendments at this stage could risk the project as a whole, given the very tight delivery time scales.

Kim O’Keeffe, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nursing Officer at RCHT said:

“We are thrilled to have received approval to proceed with building the new Outpatient Department at West Cornwall Hospital.  It is a much-needed addition to the hospital’s estate, parts of which are not up to the standard we would wish to provide.  The new Outpatient Department will be modern, spacious, accessible, and digitally enabled, thereby better enabling our dedicated staff to deliver outstanding care. We look forward to commencing construction early in 2024, following resubmission of the FBC this autumn. The new unit should open by the end of March 2025.”

Kim O’Keeffe

Derek Thomas, MP for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (St Ives), said:

“I’m grateful to local NHS managers who have worked to get this far and for the way they have engaged with me in our work with the Department for Health and Treasury to secure this investment. The cash demonstrates the Government’s commitment to West Cornwall Hospital, and the commitment to deliver as much NHS treatment as close to where people live as possible.”

Derek Thomas MP

Jim McKenna, Independent Cornwall Councillor for Penzance Promenade Division said:

“Final confirmation that the new Outpatient facility will be built by March 2025 is brilliant news for the many thousands of people who rely on West Cornwall Hospital and will help facilitate more treatment locally for more residents. The decision will be welcomed by the vast majority of residents and, crucially, will help secure the long-term future of our hospital. Particular thanks to Paul Sylvester, West Cornwall Hospital’s General Manager; the League of Friends and the many others who have worked quietly and collaboratively behind the scenes to secure the funding.”

Jim McKenna