As part of the New Hospital Programme, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) is delighted that plans to expand Derriford Hospital’s urgent and emergency care pathways have begun as we marked the beginning of construction of the new Emergency Care Building with an official groundbreaking ceremony on 10 October.
The new four-storey facility is designed to meet the growing demand for emergency care and to ensure the sickest patients receive swift, high-quality treatment. Due to open in 2028/29, the building is a £247 million investment into our healthcare estate.
The ground floor will feature an expanded Emergency Department (ED), with the existing ED space reconfigured to serve as a dedicated Paediatric ED. On the first floor, a Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit will provide urgent hospital treatment for patients who require same-day care, with follow-up managed in the community.
The second floor will house four state-of-the-art Interventional Radiology (IR) theatres, supporting advanced diagnosis and treatment using modern imaging technologies, along with a patient recovery area and staff rest facilities. Lastly, the third floor will include five new surgical theatres for both emergency and planned procedures, as well as a patient recovery area and staff office spaces.
In addition to enhancing clinical capacity, the building will provide a modern environment that meets current healthcare standards. Staff workspaces will be improved, and patients and their families will experience a better, more respectful and dignified journey through emergency care.
The start of construction was celebrated with a ceremony attended by key stakeholders from the New Hospital Programme, construction partners Mace and Willmott Dixon, Fred Thomas MP for Plymouth Moor View, as well as hospital staff and Emergency Department volunteers, Jan Lawrence, Eileen Pearce, Jean Stockwell, Wendy Tancock and David Short, who took part in a symbolic groundbreaking with ceremonial spades. Read full story: Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of construction for new Emergency Care Building | Building for the Future News, Future Hospitals News, Our Future Hospital News | University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
In this issue:
- Getting to know Neil Macdonald, Chief Executive
- We reached the highest point of the Plymouth Community Diagnostic Centre
- Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of construction for new Emergency Care Building
- Strengthening the Trust’s Social Value
- Official opening of the Dartmoor Building #ThinkUTC
- We treated the first patient in the UK with a new laser catheter for vascular disease
- Young Persons’ Patient Council Marks Its First Year of Making a Difference
- Improving Lives Plymouth showcase their support to patients beyond hospital care