Derriford Hospital in Plymouth is undergoing a £500 million revamp. (Image: Getty)
Three major hospital redevelopments in the UK are on track to open at least part of their new services in 2026 as part of a multi-million new hospitals programme. The three projects, worth at least an estimated £1 billion combined, will transform local health care services in their regions and involve new emergency care facilities, new theatres and wards and a pioneering new children’s cancer hospital.
The new facilities aim to offer better emergency care, state-of-the-art interventional Radiology (IR) theatres, more beds and pioneering cancer treatments and facilities. The UK Government, under the current administration, has stated it is committed to delivering the New Hospital Programme, but significantly revamped it last year, acknowledging the previous plan for “40 new hospitals” by 2030 was unfunded and undeliverable. And they admitted that many of the projects were not new hospitals but refurbishments. However three of the proposals are expected to reach significant milestones in 2026 with some services opening.
The new developments are at Poole Hospital in Dorset, Derriford Emergency Care Hospital in Devon and the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.
The Poole project is a multi-phase, £500 million programme across both Poole and Royal Bournemouth Hospitals. The new Poole Building includes four levels of wards (110 beds), catering, staff facilities, and solar power. Ten new operating theatres have already opened at Poole as part of the wider upgrades.
In 2026 there will be significant service moves between Poole and Bournemouth hospitals, scheduled for summer as Poole is being redeveloped as the major planned care hospital for Dorset. The emergency department is set to close, with services transitioning, by late 2026.
Poole will instead focus on scheduled treatments, aiming to cut waiting lists with new state-of-the-art theatres, some of which are already open, and further expansions in progress for increased capacity in planned services by Summer 2026.
Cambridge Children’s Hospital artist’s impression. (Image: Cambridge Children’s Hospital)
Meanwhile, at Derriford Emergency Care Hospital in Plymouth, construction is underway for a new £140million Emergency Care Building.
An extension to the Oncology Centre is expected to open by the end of this month and a three-story Community Diagnostic Centre is scheduled for completion in 2026. The main Emergency Care Building has an anticipated completion date of Winter 2028.
A spokesperson for InvestPlymouth said: “As part of the New Hospital Programme, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) has commenced construction on the new Emergency Care Building at Derriford Hospital, marking a significant expansion of the hospital’s urgent and emergency care pathways.
“The new four-storey facility is designed to address the increasing demand for emergency services and to ensure that the most critically ill patients receive timely, high-quality treatment.
“Scheduled to open in 2028/29, the project represents a £247 million investment in Plymouth’s healthcare infrastructure.
“The ground floor will feature an expanded Emergency Department (ED), with the existing ED space reconfigured into a dedicated Paediatric ED. The first floor will house a Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit, offering urgent hospital treatment for patients requiring same-day care, with follow-up support managed within the community.
“The second floor will accommodate four state-of-the-art Interventional Radiology (IR) theatres, equipped with advanced imaging technologies for diagnosis and treatment, alongside a patient recovery area and staff facilities. The third floor will contain five new surgical theatres to support both emergency and planned procedures, as well as additional recovery and office spaces for staff.”
Pre-construction work on the Cambridge Children’s Hospital & Cancer Research Hospital began last year, with building proper due to begin in 2026.
Full construction of the new, seven-storey specialist cancer hospital is scheduled to begin shortly. The 27,083 square metre facility is designed to combine NHS clinical space with three new research institutes. It will feature 77 individual inpatient rooms, a Teenage & Young Adult Ward, and a larger day patient unit.
The new facility will include 108 inpatient beds, 16 paediatric intensive care beds, 42 day-case beds, 7 operating theatres, and a hospital school.
The building is designed with “Passivhaus principles” ultra low energy use and sustainability, featuring extensive outdoor spaces, gardens, and courtyards and is expected to cost between £300 and £500 million.
While none of the major new buildings themselves are scheduled to completely open and become operational in 2026, 2026 is a critical year for major construction, service, and, in some cases, specific facility openings.