A major multi-million pound renovation of the emergency department at Cornwall's main hospital is under way.
The project at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (RCHT) in Truro, which will be phased over the next 18 months, will lead to improvements to the existing facilities and services.
Andy Virr, lead consultant in emergency medicine for RCHT, said: "This is an exciting modernisation and expansion of our facilities in the emergency department.
"As well as physically redesigning the building, it will let us put in place the changes we want to make to improve patient flow for all emergency admissions, offering a better working environment for the team here and a much better experience for our patients."
According to the RCHT, patient numbers at the emergency department have increased by 10% over the past five years, with the team now expecting to see more than 60,000 emergency patients per year.
The £2.2m primary phase of the renovation consists of the building of an extension that will sit in the former courtyard area between the emergency department and fracture clinic. Hospital bosses say the running of the casualty department will not be affected by the work.
The project has been backed with a £1.2 million contribution from the Department of Health. The remainder is being funded by RCHT's capital programme. When completed, the modernisation programme will ultimately lead to the redesign of a large part of the existing department, including new facilities for children and improvements to waiting areas and cubicles.
