PRESS RELEASE
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and NHS England boss Simon Stevens have today (Wednesday, 19 July 2017) confirmed £29m of investment into the Worcestershire Royal and Alex Hospitals as part of £325m for local projects that will help the NHS to modernise and transform care for patients.
Patients will see this investment deliver faster diagnosis for conditions like cancer, easier access to mental health care, expansion of A&Es, shorter waits for operations, and more services in GPs surgeries.
In Worcestershire, this round of funding will support Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs), and the £29m is being delivered to improve hospital services. The Worcestershire Royal Hospital will benefit from additional investment to upgrade maternity wards and theatres and children’s services, as well money for more general and acute surgery beds. The Alexandra Hospital in Redditch will get extra money to pay for improvements to the elective care centre, endoscopy, children’s outpatients and an upgrade in theatres.
Redditch MP Rachel Maclean is delighted that her hard work in pushing for this investment in the six weeks since she entered Parliament, has paid off.
She said: “I am assured that my recent meetings with Jeremy Hunt and debate in Parliament regarding the Worcestershire Acute helped to push forward this decision – which of course I am absolutely delighted with.
“The people of Redditch deserve certainly of services and these upgrades will provide just that. I am confident following last week’s agreement by Clinical Commissioners to the Acute services that are to be provided at the Alex, Redditch will retain a top class hospital going forward with modern and wide-ranging facilities.
“Last week’s decision by the CCG board to centralise services at Worcester away from the Alex was disappointing but not surprising. And I made it very clear I didn’t support this – nor did the overwhelming majority of local people. I’ve written to the CCG board expressing disappointment so local people’s voices can be heard properly.
“But I also recognise that this process has been going on for years now, long before I became the MP, and I reluctantly conclude that my energies are best spent in moving forward to ensure commitments are now delivered. Today’s announcement is the first step and I won’t rest until we see them delivered.”
Additionally, during her work in Parliament, Rachel has sought and received assurances from Ministers that there will be a 24-hour A&E for adults at the Alex and 24-hour urgent care for under 16s, with an emergency response in place by ambulance to access lifesaving care in the best place in an emergency for under 16s.
