Steve Darling MP has said (in an update on 8 February 2026) that refurbishment of the cardiac catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) at Torbay Hospital in Torquay is being treated as a top priority. His announcement follows efforts to move essential clinical upgrades ahead of the full hospital rebuild, which — after the New Hospital Programme review — is not expected to start main construction until around 2033–2035.
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is prioritising modernisation of its cardiac catheterisation labs. The Cath Lab and the wider cardiac service are vital for local access to interventional cardiology — including angioplasties to clear blocked arteries — and for work performed in the trust’s pacing room (including pacemaker procedures). Local politicians and campaigners have repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping these services close to home rather than requiring patients to travel to larger centres such as Plymouth or Exeter.
The push for capital funding follows an open letter from the Trust to residents published on 31 October 2025, which sought to reassure the public that “there are currently no formal proposals to change cardiology services at Torbay Hospital” and confirmed that refurbishing the cardiac catheter labs was a top clinical priority in the Trust’s draft capital programme for 2026/27. Officials are pursuing a bid for roughly £2.4m–£4m of Estates/Operational Capital funding to progress that work now; that specific sum has not been confirmed as secured. Separately, the Trust announced it secured an additional £2.367m from the national Estates Safety Fund in November 2025 to reduce other critical infrastructure risks across the site.
Darling said targeting the Cath Lab refurbishment is essential to reduce waiting times and to ensure local patients can be treated in a modern, safe environment while the community waits for larger-scale rebuilding. The focused investment is intended to address urgent estate and equipment issues now, rather than relying solely on the long-term New Hospital Programme rebuild timetable.
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