‘’Basingstoke’s Hospital run by Hampshire Hospital Foundation Trust (HHFT) is one of 40 identified by Government in 2019 for replacement by 2030 as part of the largest hospital building programme in a generation. It is incredibly welcome that this crucial part of our local health service has been identified by the NHS for such significant investment.
“I have supported HHFT in their bid to build a new Hospital for a decade. Securing NHS funds has been a challenge. So, the Government recognising our need in their national programme of hospital building has really helped move things forward. Basingstoke Hospital was built in the early 1970s and needs replacing because it is increasingly costly to run, requires significant repairs and needs to evolve to meet today's health needs in the communities it serves throughout North and mid Hampshire.
‘’Rightly, the progress of the national Hospital building programme over 2020-2021 had to be slowed due to the pandemic when both the Government and the NHS were focused on tackling Covid and the vaccine rollout. Since 2022 reducing the backlog of patients needing treatment has been the top priority. Nonetheless, as many people are aware, in Basingstoke, work on plans for the new hospital continued, led by the Hampshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, with support from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Hampshire County Council, the NHS Integrated Care Board and many more organisations. In 2020 these organisations joined together to form a planning group across HHFT's 3 Hospitals, called "Hampshire Together" which has worked on the plans for the new hospital, supported by a mix of locally elected representatives, members of the public and health professionals. More information about these consultations can be found on the Hampshire Together website by following this link: https://www.hampshiretogether.nhs.uk/useful-documents
‘’In the summer of 2020, "Hampshire Together" carried out a programme of engagement to audit the opinions of various stakeholders and members of the public. Responses to this engagement were distilled into an engagement report and many of the suggestions have informed ongoing plans.
‘’It has been clear all along that a new hospital will have far-reaching benefits for Basingstoke. First and foremost, this new state of the art facility will ensure world-class provision of healthcare for Basingstoke residents. What we need from a hospital has changed so much since our current Basingstoke Hospital opened in the early 1970s: the best treatments change regularly, meaning any new Hospital must be able to adapt quickly to cater for new and emerging technologies; far more complex treatments previously requiring long Hospital stays can now be completed in a day, including fitting stents and removing cataracts; and we are more aware than ever of the importance of different hospitals working together to ensure the necessary number of patient cases each year to support the best specialist services. Taking these changes into account will benefit patient care, provide staff with cutting-edge facilities, and above all allow the NHS to perform at its best.
‘’But the investment should represent more than a new Hospital alone. It will support Primary Care, mental health teams and social care teams across our community. For many years, our local NHS has focused on integrating health care provided in the community and in the hospital, bringing together the different aspects of our health and care systems. By better-connecting GPs with hospital staff and integrating mental and physical health care, this investment will allow us to do just that.
‘’On top of these healthcare benefits, there is also an exciting opportunity to consider how a new hospital, our biggest local employer, could generate even more high-quality job opportunities. I would like to see HHFT expand its already impressive role training the NHS healthcare workers of the future.
" A new Hospital is one of the biggest investments in local infrastructure. It's only right that plans are scrutinised closely and that the NHS and Government have in place rigorous rules about how taxpayer money is spent. The delays resulting from the Pandemic are understandable but the team on the ground here in Hampshire are eager to go to the next stage set out by the NHS, which includes an even fuller public consultation to make sure the whole community has an opportunity to have their say, buying a site and securing planning consent.
‘’HHFT have to follow the NHS and Government process. A 35% increase in building costs since the Hospital programme was announced, along with the cost of the pandemic has served to make the programme even more complex. But the Health Secretary remains committed to delivering this important programme for the health of the nation. HHFT have publicly shortlisted 2 potential locations: one being the current hospital site and the other being land near Junction 7 of the M3. The Leader of our Council Simon Minas-Bound is working closely with the Trust to help ensure the process is smooth going forward.
‘’I have regular meetings with Ministers and HHFT to continue to make the very strong case for Basingstoke and the importance of the health of our community. I would like to thank everyone involved for the huge amount of work and for their commitment to a new Hospital for the people of Basingstoke".
