Hemel MP joins campaigners in criticising decision over new hospital for west Herts

The decision was made by the boards of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group
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Hospital campaigners and the MP for Hemel Hempstead have criticised local health bodies who decided to ignore the case for a new central hospital to serve everyone in west Hertfordshire.

Sir Mike Penning, joined local councillors and campaigners - including the New Hospital Campaign (NHC) - to attend the virtual meeting of the boards of Herts Valleys CCG (HVCCG) and the West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust (WHHT) yesterday (Thursday).

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The joint meeting ruled out the options of a new hospital on a new green field site for the future of hospital provision in West Hertfordshire.

Hemel Hempstead MP Sir Mike PenningHemel Hempstead MP Sir Mike Penning
Hemel Hempstead MP Sir Mike Penning

There will be a complete transformation of the Watford General site and considerable improvements – including new buildings – at Hemel Hempstead Hospital and St Albans City Hospital, following a decision by local NHS leaders.

Read: Ambitious plans agreed to transform hospital sites in west HertfordshireAt the heart of the decision was the issue of ‘deliverability’ with discussions focusing on the risk of any further delay balanced against the opportunity on offer and the pressing need to improve current facilities.

The majority of the funding would be spent at Watford General Hospital which sees a far higher number of patients and has more buildings in poor condition than the trust’s two other hospitals.

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Speaking afterwards, Sir Mike said: “This was an absolute farce; actually worse than a farce it was a complete pantomime. A succession of pre-determined speakers lined up to spout the official line and praise the Trust’s decision to upgrade Watford - actually a refurbishment.

“If this wasn’t so serious it would be laughable. This is about the future of hospital services for this area for the next two or three generations.

“The Trust is determined to stick with its plan to patch up Watford General Hospital and is using the possibility of a two-year delay as a reason to reject looking at a new site.

“They need to look at the bigger picture. If it costs a two-year delay, and I don’t believe it needs to, it would be worth it if we get a new centralised hospital to serve all three major urban areas.

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“Both St Albans and Hemel Hempstead are earmarked for expansion with large new housing areas already proposed. I do understand that people in Watford are worried about losing their hospital, but a new site would give us a 21st Century hospital for the whole local community it serves."

The WHHT and HVCCG boards did not support the option of a new hospital on a new site, following an independent report presented to the boards.

The report outlined the risks of this option as being higher than the Watford-based options, namely that the new site might not be possible to progress or that it might not deliver on time due to land purchase and planning requirements as well as highways and access issues which could add considerable time before and during construction.

The risk of similar delays was assessed as being much lower at the Watford site, where the land is already owned by the NHS or has been pledged by Watford Borough Council and where there is existing public transport and car access.

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WHHT chief executive Christine Allen, said: "“This milestone is, I believe, a positive development for all our patients. However, I acknowledge that the continued concentration of emergency and specialist services at Watford will disappoint some residents of west Hertfordshire.

“Having carefully reviewed the findings of the site feasibility study, listened to the representations today and read the written submissions from those who don’t agree with our plans, as well as taking note of letters and emails on this topic for some time, we do understand the strength of feeling on this issue and the appeal of a completely new hospital on a completely new site.

“At the same time, we also have a responsibility to deliver significantly improved facilities as soon as possible. We approved a shortlist without a greenfield option because we believed that the risk of the timely delivery of this option was too high.

"All the new sites reviewed had pros and cons but we all felt – and this was underlined powerfully for us today by our clinical leaders - that we must not pass up this significant opportunity to enhance all of our hospitals and make a massive positive impact to the experience of our patients and staff."

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The New Hospital Campaign (NHC) described the decision to spend about £590m on refurbishment and new build at Vicarage Road Watford as rushed and based on flawed, shaky and often misleading evidence.

Jean Richie of the NHC said: “There is no way a decision based on such misleading, doctored and inadequate information can go unchallenged. And it won’t.

"From day one they knew what they wanted the outcome to be, and they have made sure, by manipulating the evidence and refusing to consider other information, that they achieved the result they wanted.

"The role of the Trust has not been independent, which is a distortion of their position as custodians of hospital care for the whole of the population of West Herts."

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David Evans, managing director of Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group, added: "We have a wonderful opportunity to modernise how we work and I am confident this will benefit all our patients in west Herts and not just those who live near the trust’s three hospitals.”