The hospital was one of 16 schemes included in the first wave of the revised New Hospital Programme expected to begin construction between 2025 and 2029.

Steve Williamson, RCHT chief executive, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that the Government has recognised the importance of our scheme to proceed on our current time line. We will now press ahead to deliver our Full Business Case for the main Women and Children's Hospital scheme.

‘Building a new Women and Children's Hospital for the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has been an ambition for us for the last 20 years. This news, on the back of last week's confirmation we can start two of our essential enabling schemes immediately, means we can now make this a reality.

‘Not only is this good news for our hospital and wider healthcare system; it is also excellent news for the local economy. As an anchor institution in Cornwall, we are determined to provide continued employment opportunities across the health and construction sectors, and deliver social value for the long-term prosperity of the county.

‘We look forward to continuing our work with the New Hospital Programme and delivering this much needed scheme over the next five years.'