Royal Cornwall Hospital doctor 'disappointed and upset' by uncertainty over new hospital

• ITV News' Grace Pascoe met staff at the hospital.

A Cornish doctor has said he is "disappointed and upset" that plans for a new hospital in Cornwall have been halted by the Labour Government.

A new women's and children's hospital at Treliske was among a number of developments planned for the region under the previous Conservative government hospital improvement programme.

However, it wasn't among those announced by Labour this week as going ahead.

Staff members like obstetric anaesthetist Layth Tameen are desperate for the build to go ahead.

He said: "You come to work and you want to do your best. Then you're faced with a lot of these challenges and you think, 'If only I could have a bigger space, if only I could have a way to easily get through'.

"And you think, 'Well, the new building will do that. And so your hopes become set on doing that, so you can keep providing that excellent care.

"But then to hear it's suddenly gone is really disappointing and it's really upsetting. It just means more patch-up jobs and it means more disappointment.

"For an NHS that's had a lot of its goodwill ground down, this feels even worse."

He added that he often finds it difficult to do his job properly due to the cramped conditions he's working in.

"I've got this sort of one by half a metre space to actually care for this woman and I've got to make sure she is anaesthetised properly, that any bleeding is controlled, give her all the various drugs.

"If I need anything else, well everything is out through that door over there that I can't get through because the neonatal resuscitation trolley's in the way, the dad is sat right here, and I can't physically get there.

"So I often have to go up, and out and around and through, when I then have lost sight of the woman.

"It's just not fit for purpose. It doesn't meet the level of care that I want to give to these women and I want to give the utmost care that I can, the best care that I can.

"But it just feels like I am doing my best in an environment that doesn't allow me to give the best."

Millions spent already on paused hospital project

A total of £14.5 million pounds has been spent on preparatory works at Treliske to make way for the new Women and Children's Hospital.

The enabling works include moving the Lowen Ward out of the link corridor as part of the new MRI and Oncology Unit that opened in June 2023, relocating the Cardiac Department set to complete in the Spring of 2025, demolishing a row of houses at Penventinnie Lane and extending the car park.

A Royal Cornwall Hospital spokesperson said: "We continue to work towards delivering the full business case for the main new Women and Children’s hospital".

Many staff members including obstetric anaesthetist Layth Tameen are desperate for the build to go ahead.

"I want to give the utmost care that I can, the best care that I can. But it just feels like I am doing my best in an environment that doesn't allow me to give the best.”

Building the new hospital is a top priority for Steve Williamson, the Chief Executive at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

“This will be the biggest ever capital investment in hospital and health care in Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly, so hugely important, of course, we were really disappointed when we weren't announced as one of the projects that would immediately proceed, we're ready to go.

"But what we're looking forward to now is the outcome of that review, which could be later on this year.

"And I really, really hope the outcome is to approve the Women and Children's Hospital. We've been waiting for 20 years for this investment, for this programme, and it's really, really important to us.”

Debbie Gilbert the Chief Executive of Healthwatch Cornwall says she’s dismayed that the new hospital is under threat.

“It's not something that we want here in Cornwall, it's something that we absolutely need and we are listening to the residents and what they are telling us and this is something that's been promised and I don't believe from all the feedback that we're getting, that government actually understand the complexities of Cornwall and what we face here."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited a New Hospital Programme that is undeliverable and unfunded. We will be honest with patients and will put the programme on a sustainable footing.

“Patient safety is our biggest concern, so rebuilds of hospitals built primarily from RAAC, alongside those where the Full Business Case is already approved, will continue as planned.

"Our review will provide a thorough, costed, and realistic timeline for delivery of the rest of the programme to ensure we can replace the crumbling hospital estate in England.

“This, alongside the fundamental reforms that will be introduced in our 10-year plan, will ensure we build an NHS that is fit for the future.”