There have been mixed responses following confirmation of a new specialist emergency care hospital that’s to be built in Sutton to serve Surrey and South West London residents.
On November 3rd it was announced the new facility, which will remain part of the Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Trust, had been given the green light following a lengthy consultation process.
The hospital will be built in Sutton, with district health services remaining in modernised buildings at Epsom and St Helier hospitals, and aims to open in 2025.
The decision was made in July for the new unit to be in Sutton, but this green light follows the decision being referred to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in October.
The £500 million investment for a new unit was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in September 2019, and a consultation was launched to decide the best location for this new intensive care unit – Epsom, St Helier or Sutton.
Supporters of the new unit say upgrades like these are essential for hospital buildings that are older than the NHS itself, while opponents say that crucial services like A&E would be taken away from the other hospitals as a result of this new unit.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock commented that he looks forward “to seeing the hospital take shape over the coming months and years”, while Daniel Elkeles, CEO of Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Trust said he was “delighted” that the new hospital investment was going into the trust.
But Helen O’Connor, a regional organiser with GMB Union in Chessington, has reacted with disappointment to the news, describing it as “appalling”.
Sandra Ash, a member of campaign group KOSHH (Keep Our St Helier Hospital), says she has taken issue with the way the consultation itself has been handled, citing everything from a lack of initial detail to the failure to make alternative arrangements due to the pandemic.
She explained: “It is unfortunate that the legitimate concerns of GMB Union members appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
“It is simply staggering that these plans to remove acute services in [Epsom and St Helier hospitals] and concentrate them into a smaller facility on the Sutton site can be pursued during a worldwide pandemic when demand on acute care is increasing.
“These changes are not being implemented to serve the health needs of the local population or for the benefit of the staff working in both Epsom and St Helier hospitals. GMB Union will continue campaigning with our allies in the local community to oppose these changes.”
Crispin Blunt, the member of parliament for Reigate, has defended the idea of going ahead with plans at the moment, arguing that the problems facing the hospital trust require urgent attention.
Crispin Blunt has said that work most not be delayed as a result of the health crisis.
He says: “The NHS cannot simply mothball its plans to tackle longstanding problems until Covid-19 has been overcome. Difficult though it undoubtedly is, work must continue on schemes throughout the country to improve services and facilities taking account of our growing knowledge of Covid-19 as we proceed.”
He has urged organisers to get on with the creation of the unit, calling the plans “a really positive result for residents living in the north of my constituency.”
She said: “The consultation process was a travesty – it was cut short by two weeks because of the Covid lockdown.”
The group’s campaigning was reduced as a result of lockdown.
(Story originally posted by InYourArea.co.uk)