Rachel has delivered on her promise to secure the Garden Suite’s return to the Alexandra Hospital before 2024.
In February last year, Rachel secured the commitment from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to return the ambulatory chemotherapy service to the Alex following its relocation to Kidderminster during the pandemic.
It followed a hard fought campaign, led by Rachel, in which 8,000 people signed her petition calling for the services’ return.
After securing the commitment from local health bosses following numerous meetings, they then told the town’s MP the Garden Suite wouldn’t be back at the Alex until ‘early 2024.’
Rachel then promised her constituents that she would do everything within her power to get this service back to Redditch’s hospital before 2024.
Today (January 24th), Rachel has delivered on this promise after Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust set out a plan which confirmed the Garden Suite would be back at the Alex and open to patients by the end of February 2023.
The Garden Suite is to get a new home at the Alex following the refurbishment of the hospital’s Ward 1, which is currently used as a discharge lounge for patients who are waiting to go home following an inpatient stay.
Building and decorating work at the Alex is now under way. Once completed, around three quarters of Ward 1 will reopen as the Garden Suite with the remaining area being used as a redesigned Discharge Lounge.
In welcoming this announcement, Rachel said:
“It’s frustrating it took so long to get to this point, but I’m so pleased we finally know when the Garden Suite will be returned to the Alex where it belongs.
“I said I would do everything I could to get local health bosses to return this service to our hospital before 2024, and I’ve delivered on that promise.
“Today I’m thinking of my constituents who will no longer have to travel to Kidderminster for their chemotherapy. They are why I fought to get this service back.
“Now I’ve demonstrated I’m capable of securing the return of services to the Alex, the fight continues to get a maternity and children’s service back to the Alex.”
Chemotherapy services will also continue to be provided at Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals.
