Following the announcement that £900 million has been allocated by Government to Hampshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to build the new Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, opening 2032, the NHS has unveiled its approach to how the new Hospital will be designed, as part of its New Hospitals Programme.
At a meeting in Parliament. Local MP Maria Miller was joined by a representative from Hampshire Hospitals, County Councillor Juliet Henderson who is also a hospital governor; they met the team responsible for developing the new hospital design, heard how a modular approach will be adopted, particularly important in managing building costs which have risen by 30% since the initial announcement was made, and through the use of virtual reality headsets took a tour of some of the design features being explored by the development team.
Maria said, "For the first time we are seeing what this generation of new hospital will look like, and hearing how the design and build will be approached. Basingstoke is at the heart of these plans and the team at Hampshire Hospitals are working hard to enable more people to get involved in the plans through a public consultation which will start in the next few weeks.
"The New Hospitals Programme, of which our hospital is part, is using modern methods of construction with a standardised modular design. Not only will this reduce costs, but it will also increase efficiency and dramatically reduce construction times.
" The NHS has had to prioritise the build of the new Hospitals in its programme and at the moment our new Hospital is due for completion in 2032. I hope this modular approach and the amount of work already completed by Hampshire Hospital Trust means, if the opportunity arises, that completion date could be sooner. "
This Parliamentary meeting was an opportunity to view design concepts for the new hospital programme and to talk to the engineers and officials working to implement the programme. The exhibition, which included virtual reality headsets, videos and models, will be taken on a roadshow across England this summer so that staff, patients, and residents can view the plans for themselves.
"The team here in Basingstoke is already working hard to deliver this incredible new hospital for our community. The next step is the public consultation which is due to take place in the autumn. I will be hosting another Community Chat in November to provide residents with an update and a chance to pose questions to a member of the Government and to local NHS leaders.’’ Maria added.
