The Chief Executive and his team at Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust are putting together a plan to secure between £300 and £400 million of investment for health services in the area.
They are starting a conversation with local people and seeking views about how local health care will be delivered at Epsom, Sutton and St Helier Hospitals. It is crucial to note that as the Secretary of State for Health said during the General Election campaign St Helier Hospital is safe and will remain open.
Under their plans, £80 million of the new investment would be spent on the maintenance of both St Helier and Epsom Hospitals. It must be remembered that most of St Helier Hospital was built before antibiotics were invented and 43% of the clinical space is defined as ‘functionally unsuitable’. The new investment will repair leaking roofs and the fabric of the buildings at St Helier.
The Chief Executive’s conversation with local people will include his plans for a new specialist facility for acutely sick patients, where A&E, inpatient beds for children, births and complex emergency surgery is delivered on one site.
The Trust are confident that their plans will mean that 85% of patients will see no change to where they receive their care, and indeed they will see improved facilities. Furthermore, no services will leave the Trust’s catchment area.
I welcome the Chief Executive’s decision to listen to local people about his plans to seek more investment, and I am glad it is absolutely clear that St Helier Hospital is safe. I encourage everyone to read more about the plans on their website here, and to feed into the engagement process.