Architects have been assigned for plans in the redevelopment of three West Hertfordshire hospitals.

Building Design Partnership (BDP) have won the contract to lead plans for a major multimillion pound redevelopment of Watford General Hospital, alongside development at St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead hospitals.

Government funding - potentially up to £590 million - still needs to be fully secured, but the plans at Watford include a large new clinical block to replace nearly all current clinical facilities, except for the current acute admissions unit.

The plans would mean most Watford clinical services would be in new hospital facilities.

Hemel Hempstead is hoped to provide a new urgent treatment and diagnostics centre, while St Albans City Hospital will overhaul its theatres and create a rapid access cancer diagnostic centre.

BDP has an extensive history in their involvement of healthcare projects – including the recent NHS Nightingale projects, aiding developments of Merseyside’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, as well as hospitals in Wales and Bristol.

The design team says they will support delivering the design concept for all three sites, and provide expertise and designing sustainable buildings.

Duane Passman, the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s acute redevelopment programme director, said: "Not only have BDP created hospital buildings that look stunning, their focus on getting the design right for patients – down to the tiniest detail – impressed us.

“We are also assured by their experience of developing new hospital buildings on existing sites and we are confident that they understand the importance of minimising disruption, keeping sites safe and making sure that services can continue to run as normal.

"Delivering a project of this scale and complexity is very much a partnership between the trust and BDP and requires working with various partners from construction firms to local authorities to create buildings which will support the sustainable delivery of healthcare."

The BDP project director, Paul Johnson said: "On behalf of BDP, my colleague Neil Cadenhead and myself are delighted to have been selected to design this redevelopment project for WHHT supported by our multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, landscape designers and town planners.

"We look forward to a successful and creative partnership with the many WHHT colleagues who will be involved in the project. We are absolutely confident that the resulting estate will be something that we, the trust and the people of Hertfordshire will be justifiably proud of."