A hospital trust has said plans for a new facility in Hertfordshire offering planned and urgent care services is being considered but that Watford General Hospital will remain the leading location for emergency care.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group announced a run of public briefing sessions outlining plans to revise an expansion of St Albans and Hemel Hempstead hospitals – based on retaining emergency and critical care services in Watford.

A “strategic outline case” was submitted to NHS regulators, NHS Improvement and NHS England, last September stating Watford General Hospital would be redeveloped but remain the location for emergency and specialised care; while St Albans City Hospital should be improved to support an increase in surgical procedures.

Separate plans for Hemel Hospital were also floated to revise services for those with long-term conditions and urgent (non emergency) treatments.

Regulator feedback suggested improvements to the hospital sites are needed, particularly at Watford General, but that there is strong competition for funding.

NHS Improvement asked the trust to consider “any new options” that have arisen since last summer which could include a new facility offering similar services to that of St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead.

West Herts NHS Trust said “more work” was needed to determine whether this option is viable.

The trust added retaining emergency and critical services at Watford General was favourable because the hospital has local authority support, proper infrastructure such as utilities, access and public transport connections, and is the “right size”.

Dates and venues for the public meetings are scheduled for:

• October 23 between 7pm-9pm at Laureate Academy, Warners End Road, Hemel Hempstead

• October 24 between 7pm-9pm at Trinity Church Hall St Albans

• November 6 between 7pm-9pm at The Hub room, West Herts College, Watford

A spokesperson from Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group said: “NHS Improvement has asked West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust to consider a phased redevelopment based on retaining emergency and critical care services at Watford General Hospital.

“This is still the most affordable and deliverable option and the least likely to affect patient attendances at neighbouring hospitals.

“The redevelopment of St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead hospitals remains our agreed proposal for planned care and we will use the refresh of the strategic outline case to revisit plans for these services.

“In particular, we will look at whether there is the potential to develop a new facility that would offer a range of planned and urgent care services similar to those currently provided at St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead hospitals.”