West Herts residents may have to wait until 2028 for ‘new’ hospital in Watford

Residents in west Hertfordshire may have to wait until 2028 for a new hospital on the site of Watford General, it has emerged.

Bosses at the West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust have drawn up plans for the new hospital, as part of plans to retain and redevelop three existing sites in Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead.

They had initially hoped that work could start at the Watford site next year (2022) – with the work complete as early as 2025.

But despite a promise of funds by Prime Minister Boris Johnson – during a visit to the hospital in October 2019 – the Trust is yet to be allocated funding from the Treasury.

And now latest information to emerge from the Trust suggests that construction at the site may not even start until September 2024.

The Trust’s bid is currently being considered as part of the government’s £3.7billion New Hospital Programme (NHP).

That ‘programme’ aims to deliver 48 ‘new’ hospitals by 2030. And it includes a number of ‘pathfinder’ bids, of which West Herts is one.

In its latest briefing to stakeholders – seen by the Local Democracy Reporter Service (LDRS) – the Trust reports that the NHP ‘window for construction’ for pathfinder trusts runs from April 2023 to September 2024.

And the LDRS has now learned that the NHP currently anticipate that construction will be complete at the most developed ‘pathfinder’ schemes between 2026 and 2028.

According to the Trust’s update to stakeholders, the Trust is continuing to work on the outline business case for the development, which it hopes to complete next year (2022).

And, it says, they are currently waiting for feedback on recent submissions and for direction on factors such as room sizes, building methods and the ratio of single occupancy rooms required.

Commenting on the current timescale, a spokesperson for the West Herts Hospitals Trust told the LDRS: “We are really pleased to be a part of the New Hospital Programme and we are continuing to work hard so we can open new facilities for patients in west Hertfordshire as soon as possible.

“We are confident that the work taking place at a national level to secure contractors and to provide a standardised approach to design will be of benefit to us and the hospitals who follow on after us.”

Once the business case is complete it will be scrutinised by officials from the New Hospital Programme – before a funding decision is made by the Treasury.

Commenting on the timescale of the New Hospital Programme, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We remain on track to build 40 new hospitals by 2030, backed by an initial £3.7 billion, which will provide better care for patients, an improved working environment for staff and help the NHS reach its net zero carbon ambition.

“We are working closely with all NHS Trusts within the programme, including West Herts Hospital, to plan how and when new hospitals will be built across the decade and timescales for individual schemes may change as the programme progresses.”

The Trust’s latest update for stakeholders also acknowledges the urgent need to upgrade the hospital buildings.

“We are doing all we can to rebuild and refurbish our buildings as soon as possible,” it states.

“Because we recognise the urgency and we know that our patients and staff deserve better than what can offer at the moment in terms of our estate.”

As part of the Trust’s redevelopment plans emergency, in-patient and complex care would remain at Watford General Hospital.

Hemel Hempstead Hospital would deliver planned medical care and care for long-term conditions.

And St Albans City Hospital would provide planned surgery and cancer care.

Meanwhile urgent care and some outpatient services would be provided at all three sites, where diagnostic facilities would be ‘significantly upgraded’.

When the West Herts Hospitals Trust board backed their initial bid, in July 2019, it was at an estimated cost £350m.

Last June (2020) it emerged that the Trust had been advised that it could bid for up to £590m.

And earlier this summer it also emerged that the Trust would be required to submit plans for a £400m option – as well as a phased option and the preferred option.

And it states: “There have been many cost and potential investment figures announced over recent years but the only figure that really matters is how much the Treasury agree to invest so that we can deliver new and better buildings!”