No delays to new hospital opening, says trust

There is no delay to a Plymouth emergency care building opening in 2029, a health trust has confirmed.

The £247m project is due to replace Derriford Hospital's 50-year-old emergency department and double current capacity when it opens in spring 2029, said the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

It said the old emergency department would become a dedicated children's emergency department.

Originally the trust said the project's "anticipated completion date" was winter 2028, but said it now remained "on track for completion" for 2029 with no delays to the programme.

It said the earlier date had "reflected the construction programme and the point of practical completion, which is when the building itself is handed over following construction".

"As with any major healthcare development, there is then a period of commissioning, testing, equipment installation, staff training and operational readiness work before patients can safely be cared for in the new facility," it added.

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