Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

About us

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is the biggest provider of healthcare services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Our three main sites are Royal Cornwall Hospital Truro, St Michael’s Hospital Hayle and West Cornwall Hospital Penzance, our staff and services are available across the region.   The Trust employs 5,000+ staff, has a budget of £380 million and 750 beds   We work with health and social care organisations including ¬NHS Kernow and NHS England ¬to ensure local healthcare needs are met. We provide acute medical, surgical and specialist services to around 500,000 ¬ which can increase significantly during busy holiday periods.  The Trust has teaching hospitals status as part of the University of Exeter Medical School. Keeping at the forefront of medical advances, we continually developing clinical services and are committed to maximising the range of specialist care offered locally.  We can offer you a rewarding career in a supportive working environment. We have extensive educational links to help you realise your full potential and develop skills to provide outstanding healthcare to the local community.  Enjoy an outstanding quality of life in a place that offers surfing beaches and fishing harbours to beautiful countryside and historic towns. With clean air, plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities and excellent schools, colleges and universities (including adult education) it is the ideal place for families and for you to develop your own career 

Why RCHT

• We see the person in every patient, communicating with honesty and compassion. We listen and act on feedback to ensure outstanding care.
• We respect and consider other people’s views and feelings. We seek consensus and respond to situations professionally and calmly.
• We work to create a positive team spirit, recognise achievements and celebrate success. We are open, inclusive and want to continually improve.
• We welcome new ideas and use our initiative to solve problems together. We value learning and research to improve services.
• We take pride in our work and always go the extra mile. We lead by example and ensure quality is at the heart of all we do.

Our Environment is Our Health: Over the past eighteen months, Sustainable RCHT has been leading the way in its commitment to providing new sustainability measures and green initiatives to help protect the environment. Many of these initiatives have been successful enough to garner both local and even national media attention. the sustainability movement across the RCHT has flourished. Within six months of our climate emergency declaration, we had a Board-approved, system-wide Green Plan in place, which lays out our journey to net zero. We have recognised the importance of staff engagement in our work, which has directly led to a number of projects being implemented by colleagues across all areas of our hospitals and out into the wider community of Cornwall. One area where the RCHT has been widely recognized is in its role of both implementing reusable PPE, as well as repurposing single use PPE. Our clearest impact so far has been with face masks. Consumption of single use surgical masks at our hospitals reduced by 46% following the introduction of reusable masks for non-clinical areas. We have also diverted a large proportion of our single use masks away from incineration by installing a polypropylene plastic melting machine to start the recycling process. It’s been a practical example of what Sustainable RCHT can achieve, and a real model for what we hope to replicate in all other areas when creating sustainable change across our hospitals.

What’s new at Royal Cornwall

We have an ambitious “Building Brilliance” programme - a 10-year investment plan set to transform services and patient care at the Trust. Our exciting strategic estates plans include a new Women & Children’s Hospital; a new MRI / Oncology Unit; a new outpatient facility at West Cornwall Hospital, the full reconfiguration of the rest of the only acute hospital in Cornwall ; and a range of smaller but individual redevelopment projects which will improve our acute hospital infrastructure and ensure our services remain modern and relevant to 21st century care.  In November 2020, a spacious and modern Resuscitation Unit was opened providing ED with high-quality, hi-tech facilities to care for patients with the most acute and life-threatening illnesses. In May 2021, the next phase of the Emergency Department expansion work was completed when the Rapid Assessment and Treatment area (RATs) was officially opened. January 2022 saw the opening of the Tremenel Unit. The first floor was initially opened as an Intermediate Care ward, and training centre for new Healthcare Support Workers. Now, the unit will become a “decant” facility, initially for our Cancer Unit, and a permanent new home for our Patient Blood Management Service. In June 2022 our newly commissioned GE scanner in CT2 received its first patients. The new CT scanner from GE Healthcare brings the latest technology to the Trust, with up-to-date scanning techniques such as very rapid cardiac CT scanning which reduces movement artefact and provides improved diagnostic images. The modern technology also delivers additional capacity to introduce new scanning techniques such as CT guided tumour ablation. Our flagship scheme at RCHT is our new state-of-the-art Women and Children’s Hospital, a Cohort 2 project within the New Hospital Programme, and the associated enabling works which includes a brand new Pathology Centre of Excellence, and the reconfiguration of a dedicated Cardiology and Catheter Lab Unit. A new Critical Care Healing Garden has been commissioned, complete with piped medical gases, funded wholly by charitable funds. This will be open in the Autumn of 2022 Our aim is to create a high-quality working environment for staff that enables excellent clinic outcomes for patients through fit-for-purpose theatres, wards, diagnostic facilities, day-case units and support accommodation. Not only is the Trust seeking to develop a modern, sustainable estate that will help deliver Cornwall’s Carbon Net Zero commitment, we’re also working towards Smart Hospital capabilities. Our mission is to introduce a modern digital infrastructure at the Trust with the capability to sustain a wide range of clinical and non-clinical technologies that will boost efficiencies and innovation within the Cornwall health system.

Why Cornwall

Cornwall, has been voted as one of the nation's favourite holiday destinations with many visitors making the journey throughout the year. Dubbed the Cornish Riviera, it is home to picturesque harbour villages such as Fowey and Falmouth. The north coast has towering cliffs and seaside resorts like Newquay. You could live here all year round in a small corner of the United Kingdom, surrounded by the sea. Famous for surfing, cream teas and Cornish pasties Cornwall has miles of sandy beaches where you can see schools of dolphins, basking sharks and seals sunbathing on the rocks it also has wide open spaces and many hidden treasures. With clean air, plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities and schools with smaller class numbers, excellent colleges and the University of Falmouth, it is the ideal place for families to put down roots away from the hustle and bustle of city life- but with never a dull moment as the county offers many attractions.   Just think after a day at work or school you can go down to the beach or walk the cliff paths with family and  friends or just  relax looking out over the sea  https://www.visitcornwall.com/