Basingstoke MP Maria Miller has joined Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council saying the decision by NHS England and the local Clinical Commissioning Group, to stop plans to build a new Critical Treatment Hospital to the west of Basingstoke calls into question large scale housebuilding plans in the Borough which have been supported by the Government.
The new Critical Treatment Hospital was proposed by local hospital clinicians 6 years ago, to ensure 24/7 consultant care in line with Government Policy and centralise the care of the sickest patients as set out in Hampshire Hospitals’ strategic plan when the Trust was established. A new Cancer Centre was also proposed at the site.
It is anticipated that a decision not to allow these plans to go ahead will be announced at a joint meeting of NHS England, NHS Improvement, the North Hampshire and West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, and the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Thursday 30 November.
Maria commented: “The new Critical Treatment Hospital is an integral part of the Hampshire Hospitals Trust plan to tackle the growing demands for patient care in North and Mid Hampshire. It's a solution proposed by local NHS Hampshire Hospital doctors as the best way to ensure our growing populations in Basingstoke and Winchester have 24/7 access to acute care in line with Government policy. NHS Improvement, NHS England and the CCGs have procrastinated about these proposals for five years or more, with countless costly reviews and programme boards.
"Basingstoke's Local Plan is clear - we need to see expanded local facilities in place before new homes are built. The Basingstoke Local Plan runs until 2029 and at the moment we have no agreed NHS plan of action that covers this period. If the NHS is now backing away from supporting a CTH they need to come up with an alternative plan for Basingstoke fast. Basingstoke has one of the highest levels of house building in the country. Primary and acute care is already under huge pressure. Local NHS leaders need to demonstrate to residents that there is a clear plan for both GP and Hospital care.”
“I have already had an urgent meeting with the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has committed to making sure that NHS England and the CCG show us a clear plan for delivering the health care that our growing population needs. This needs to happen early in the new year.”
"I have also met with Ministers responsible for housing to ask for their help and support in getting an NHS plan for Basingstoke that reflects the long-term plans for growth not just the immediate needs for the next 5 years."
Cllr Clive Sanders, Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said: “It would be a reckless folly to build the thousands of much needed new homes that are already planned without ensuring that the people who will live in them have proper access to decent health care. It is vital that the NHS has a plan for high quality health service provision for the borough as a whole that matches the growth in population and that is delivered as an integral part of that growth, not as an afterthought. The new homes are already on the way. We need the NHS to step up and play their part now or solving our housing shortage just will not happen.”
Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary said: “Maria met with me and made a compelling case about the need for a full plan in the Basingstoke area - one that specifically takes account of potential population growth and the local council’s commitment to high levels of house building. I will therefore be holding a meeting in March with Maria to hear from NHS England a detailed plan for provision of health services for Basingstoke residents.”