Cost of new Emergency Department at Altnagelvin in Derry estimated at £72.8m

Correspondence between the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and Derry City & Strabane District Council reveals a new A&E is one of two priority capital projects bid for by the Western Trust as part of the ongoing budget process for the period 2026/27 to 2029/30

The other project is the replacement of bed accommodation at the Altnagelvin Tower Block. That project has an estimated bill of £22.2m.

Separate to these bids £500,000 has been allocated to the Western Trust this year to facilitate improvement works.

"I witnessed first-hand the need for additional investment in the Emergency Department at Altnagelvin Hospital when I visited last year. The Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) has been allocated £0.5million in capital funding this year for works to the ED to improve patient/staff experience.

"These include the provision of additional toilet and shower facilities, additional vending area, and an upgrade of the current staff kitchen/rest area,” wrote the Health Minister.

Mr. Nesbitt advised the council significant capital funding will be required to allow for the full ED development to proceed, however.

"To inform the DoH bids to the budget process, the WHSCT submitted a list of its priority capital projects including the replacement of Bed Accommodation at the Altnagelvin Tower Block (Phase 5.1) and the Altnagelvin Emergency Department (Phase 5.2) with total capital funding requirements of £22.2m and £72.8m respectively.

"The projects were included as part of the £3billion in capital funding requirements identified by the DoH in its budget submission in September 2025,” he stated.

The minister said the Finance Minister John O’Dowd’s draft Budget proposals includes £1.8bn in capital funding for DoH over the next four years.

"This level of funding will allow DoH to meet its inescapable capital pressures and progress most of its previously partially committed projects over the Budget period, including Phases 5.1 and 5.2 of Altnagelvin Hospital redevelopment, with some delay to reflect the funding available each year.

"Once the NI Executive has agreed to the budget capital allocations for NI departments over the next four years, the DoH 10-year Capital Investment Plan will be developed setting out the projects and schemes in the Health & Social Care sector to be funded over the next decade,” the minister wrote in response to a request for an update on the project from local councillors.

SDLP Waterside Councillor Martin Reilly said: “This response will be deeply frustrating for people across Derry and the wider North West who know just how urgently this investment is needed.

"Altnagelvin’s ED is under significant pressure and has been for years, yet we still have no clear timeline for delivering the redevelopment that patients and staff need.

“The £0.5m for immediate improvements in terms of bathroom and other facilities is welcome, but they are no substitute for the major investment required to properly upgrade this facility to meet demand.

“What is most concerning is the lack of certainty. This project is now dependent on future budget decisions and long-term planning processes, with no guarantee of when or if it will be delivered. Given the Executive's failure to agree a multi-year budget thus far, it's hard to have confidence they will get this over the line.”