Prince William visits new hospital facility

Prince William met with hospital staff and patients as part of his visit to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The Prince of Wales visited Nansledan, Newquay, on Thursday to explore plans for its Market Street project, before visiting St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly on Friday.

During his visit, he opened a new facility at Isles of Scilly Hospital, the Isles of Scilly Health and Care Partnership, which has increased medical capacity on the Isles.

Celia Hicks, senior staff nurse, gave him the tour, which she said was a "real honour".

Hicks, who has worked at the hospital for 35 years, said: "There is a bit of a running joke, when the project was first talked about... I said I'll believe it when we are actually walking around.

"Here we are today with Prince William walking around this fabulous facility, and we are living it and breathing it - it is truly amazing."

Prince William was given a tour of the site, which included the new maternity suite, minor injury unit, inpatient ward, and care home.

The facility secured planning and national funding approvals in May 2024, and the build began three months later.

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said the project was a collaboration between them, Council of the Isles of Scilly, primary care, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, voluntary sector partners and mental health services in collaboration with the Duchy of Cornwall.

Chris Mitchell, Head of Integrated Professions, said the old building was a challenge but a "loved challenge".

"The building that we have got now will just help support our team here on the Isles of Scilly to deliver the healthcare that they passionately believe that they can deliver on the island," he said.

"People on Scilly want to stay on Scilly... we need to support our colleagues here with technology that supports them to be able to hold patients here.

"We are making sure that we continue to enhance our services and making sure that the focus is about how we keep people in their own beds - and if we can't keep them in their own beds - how do we keep them as close to that place that they call home, as much as possible."

Sarah Moore, senior care assistant at Park House Residential Home, said: "A lot of our residents have been born on the island, so families are all here and going to the mainland is a huge thing for them to do.

"If they can stay and remain on the islands, that is perfect for them."

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