Elliot Colburn MP has secured assurances from a Government minister that the new hospital mooted for Sutton will go ahead.
The Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington led a debate in the House of Commons today to raise concerns about the new hospital plans in Sutton and services at St Helier hospital.
During the debate, Mr Colburn asked a Government health minister to assure residents in Sutton that the new hospital plans will go ahead and put to bed recent rumours suggesting otherwise.
Will Quince MP, Minister of State in the Department for Health and Social Care, responded in the debate saying:
“The Trust is currently at outline business case stage and we are working closely with them […]
"We are committed to the delivery of a new hospital for Epsom and St Helier University NHS Trust.”
Mr Colburn also raised concerns about the current state of St Helier hospital, following reports this week of the deteriorating condition of the hospital estate.
Commenting on the debate, Elliot Colburn MP said:
“Like so many local people, I was born in St Helier and I am grateful for the amazing care I have received there all my life.
“The images we’ve seen from St Helier hospital this week are heart breaking but, unfortunately, they aren’t anything new.
“We are long overdue for upgrades to St Helier and a brand new hospital, so I am glad that the Government has given their reassurances that this is on the way.
“I will keep banging the drum to ensure we can expedite the new healthcare plans for our borough.”
Plans for a multi-million pound upgrade to facilities at St Helier hospital and to build a new hospital in Sutton were first confirmed by the NHS in 2020. Since then, due to Covid-19 and other factors, the initial timeline for the completion of the project has slipped.
The new hospital will consolidate major services including A&E, Critical Care, Acute Medicine, Emergency Surgery, Inpatient Paediatrics, and Maternity Services.
The plans will also see at least £80 million spent across both Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital to deliver essential repairs and refurbishments and enable those hospitals to focus on delivering excellent elective care.
The sickest patients will be able get a fast diagnosis and start treatment more quickly to speed up recovery, through bigger teams of expert staff at the Specialist Emergency Care Hospital. However, the majority of patients – 85% of the people who need care – will still be seen and treated at Epsom and St Helier hospitals. There will also be urgent treatment centres open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at both sites.
With this plan, the refurbished St Helier Hospital is here to stay providing the majority of local health services, and the sickest patients will get state-of-the-art treatment in the brand-new specialist emergency hospital right here in our area.
These plans have been developed by the NHS and are strongly supported by the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust.
Today’s debate on the New Hospital Programme, led by Elliot Colburn MP in the House of Commons, can be viewed here, starting at 14:36: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/a001727c-3901-4d78-877f-8cf02b956a48