Willmott Dixon has kicked off main construction on the first hospital rebuild under Wave 1 of the Government’s flagship New Hospital Programme.

The firm has broken ground on a £140m Emergency Care Building at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

Procured under ProCure23 with Mace, the four-storey facility will double capacity for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, replacing the ageing 1970s-built emergency department with a new modern care hub due to open in 2028/29.

The new facility will house a major Emergency Department and Same Day Emergency Care unit, with paediatric emergency services moving into refurbished existing space once complete.

Upper floors will contain four interventional radiology theatres and five surgical theatres for emergency and planned work, alongside new imaging suites, recovery areas, and improved staff facilities.

Programme director Stuart Windsor said: “It has been a long journey to get to today, but we will now finally see the new Emergency Care Building start to rise from the ground.”

Willmott Dixon is promising to deliver major social value through its Building Lives Academy, offering apprenticeships and employment support while sourcing materials and labour locally across the South West.

The scheme joins Willmott Dixon’s expanding healthcare portfolio, which includes the £30m Barnes Hospital redevelopment in London and the £150m Springfield University Hospital rebuild in Wandsworth.