A New Watford Hospital will be ‘fully funded’ and built by 2030

Watford General Hospital is set to be rebuilt from the ground up, with a new hospital being constructed on land next to the existing site.

The NHS New Hospital Programme, have confirmed that a substantial funding envelope has been allocated to the scheme.

The £1.27billion project, which confirmed the rebuilding of a hospital will be fully funded by the government. It will see the creation of a state-of-the-art facility that will provide patients with the best possible care.

This provides the certainty needed to move forward with the preferred option to build a completely new hospital at Watford which will replace existing clinical buildings, including Princess Michael of Kent building, the Women’s and Children’s building and the A&E wing.

Trust chief executive Matthew Coats said: “This is what we need to take our plans forward at pace to deliver this much-needed new hospital for the people of West Hertfordshire. It’s great news for our brilliant staff and our patients who will get the state-of-the-art facilities they deserve.”

The government has committed to the redevelopment plans for Watford General Hospital, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans City Hospital, backed by a national £20 billion pot.

The new hospital will have a number of features that are not currently available at Watford General, including:

• A new emergency department with 24/7 consultant cover
• A new maternity unit with more birthing rooms and a dedicated neonatal unit
• A new children’s ward with more beds and play areas
• A new cancer centre with more chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment rooms
• A new critical care unit with more beds and specialist equipment

Construction work on the new hospital is due to start in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2028.

In a statement, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are delighted that the government has approved our plans to rebuild Watford General Hospital. This is a major investment in healthcare for our community and will provide patients with the best possible care in a modern, state-of-the-art facility.”

Trust chairman Phil Townsend said: “Clearly this is excellent news. It’s the next big step in the long journey for the trust board to provide first-rate modern hospital facilities. It gives us the opportunity to re-design our services to meet the needs of our local community for decades to come.”

The trust is now working closely with colleagues in the New Hospital Programme to map out a timeline to the opening of the new facility.

The rebuild of Watford General Hospital is part of the government’s £3.7billion New Hospital Programme, which is investing in new and improved hospitals across the country.

The new hospital is also expected to create hundreds of new jobs for the local area.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, announced the new hospital during a speech in Parliament this afternoon (Thursday, May 25).

The “fully funded, state of the art” site will be built next to the current Watford General Hospital, after West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s plans were approved last summer, pending government money.

Watford Mayor Peter Taylor said he was “very pleased” to hear the “long overdue” announcement, but added: “Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go and if the past is anything to go by, progress will be slow.

“I am disappointed that the government are still talking about standardising construction methods and imposing a one-size-fits-all approach to building the new hospitals.

“We need a hospital in Watford that meets the needs of local patients now and in the future.

“Residents and our incredibly hardworking NHS staff deserve nothing less.”

Watford MP Dean Russell said he was “overjoyed” and made “no apologies for endlessly badgering the Health Secretary, the Chancellor, and the Prime Minister for this funding”.

He continued: “Not only will we get a flagship new hospital in Watford but the Trust’s other sites in Hemel and St Albans will see significant improvement works.

“I made a promise to Watford residents that we would secure world class facilities.

“Thank you to everyone who supported me and the Trust in securing this announcement. We did this together.”