Phase Two of our Emergency Department redevelopment has now opened — including our new ambulatory care area
This is the next big step in our £14.2m programme to modernise the Emergency Department at Torbay Hospital and improve the experience for the people who rely on urgent and emergency care every day and our dedicated colleagues.
Phase One opened in December 2025, giving patients and colleagues a brighter, more welcoming reception and waiting area, additional triage rooms, and improved staff spaces. We’ve had really positive feedback since then, with people telling us the new environment feels calmer and more supportive.
Phase Two builds on that progress.
The new ambulatory care area gives our teams dedicated space to assess and treat people who can be safely cared for without needing to be admitted. It supports quicker decisions, smoother flow through the department and a better experience for people who arrive needing urgent assessment.
Delivering this work while the Emergency Department has remained fully operational has taken careful planning and close teamwork. Clinical teams, estates colleagues and our construction partners have all worked incredibly hard to minimise disruption and keep people safe throughout – and we’re grateful to each and every person who has been involved.
Dr Amy Jones, Clinical Lead for the Emergency Department, said: “We see high numbers of people every day, and having this new area genuinely helps us manage that demand safely. It gives us room to work differently, to make timely decisions and to support people in a more comfortable environment.”
We now move into Phase Three – the final phase of the redevelopment – due to open in early summer. This will complete the programme with further improvements to supporting spaces that will help colleagues deliver care even more effectively.
We’ll continue to keep colleagues and our community updated as the final phase progresses.
For now, the opening of Phase Two strengthens our ability to provide safe, timely and compassionate urgent and emergency care — and brings us closer to completing the redevelopment.
Torbay Hospital League of Friends funds new road sweeper for hospital site
The Torbay Hospital League of Friends has funded a new road sweeper to support the upkeep of the Torbay Hospital site, helping teams maintain clear roads and pathways for patients, visitors and staff.
The road sweeper, named The Manic Street Sweeper, is already in daily use across the site. Its name — a playful pun on the band Manic Street Preachers — was chosen following a public vote from a shortlist suggested by colleagues with more than 500 people taking part, adding a bit of personality to a vehicle that plays an important behind the scenes role every day.
Funded entirely by the Torbay Hospital League of Friends, the new road sweeper supports the practical work of keeping roads and pathways clear across a large and busy hospital site, particularly during periods of high footfall and challenging weather.
Martin Tucker, Chair of Torbay Hospital League of Friends, said: “We’re pleased to have been able to fund something so useful and visible. This is a piece of equipment that will be used every day and that’s exactly the kind of difference our supporters want to make. It was also great to see colleagues and the public get involved in choosing the name — it really captured the spirit of the hospital community.”
Johnathan Hawkins, Environment and Waste Operations Manager, said: “Having this road sweeper on site is already making a real difference to how we manage the estate. It supports our teams to keep key routes clear and the hospital looking well cared for, which matters for everyone coming onto the site. We’re very grateful to Torbay Hospital League of Friends for their continued support.”
Torbay Hospital League of Friends has been supporting Torbay Hospital for more than 70 years and received the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2012. The League continues to fund equipment and improvements that go above and beyond NHS provision, always with the aim of enhancing patient care and experience.
For more information about the League of Friends and how you can support their work, visit: Torbay Hospital League of Friends.