New Wave Of Community Hospitals And Services

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 19 Dec 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The Government unveiled a £132 million wave of new NHS community hospitals and super-surgeries. Facilities will now be built or refurbished in towns and cities across the country as part of a major drive to provide NHS patients with better primary care services and more minor operations, medical tests and follow-up care outside of large hospitals.

Outdated facilities set to be transformed into modern community hospitals are:

- Malvern Community Hospital;

- Horsea, Beverley and Driffield Community Hospitals in the East Riding;

- Selby Community Hospital;

- Moreton and Bourton Community Hospitals in the North Cotswolds;

- Keynsham Park Hospital in Bath and North Somerset;

- St Mary's in Portsmouth;

- Berkeley Vale in Gloucestershire;

- St Charles in Kensington, London.

There will also be a new health centre in Hartlepool that will house GP services and offer a walk-in service for patients with minor injuries and illnesses, as well as other additional services, such as maternity and diagnostic services.

The state-of-the-art facilities will offer a wide range of integrated primary care and community services, from surgery to stop-smoking services, to match the needs of local patients.

Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said:

"Community hospitals are an important part of the NHS. These schemes worth close to £132 million in total will be welcome news to local communities and offer local people a variety of important services.

"These developments represent our commitment to the biggest hospital building programme in the history of the NHS. What this means for patients today is that, in addition to being treated in bright, modern facilities, those in need of NHS treatment will be seen quicker - in 18 weeks or less by the end of 2008.

"We are not just building like-for-like replacements of existing buildings, we are re-thinking the way the NHS provides care so that patients receive better, more convenient services."

In July 2006, the Department invited Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to bid for £750 million in funding to build a new generation of community hospitals, health centres and polyclinics. Today's announcement means that we have now approved 23 schemes with a total value of £272 million - with further schemes under consideration.

Notes:

1. The nine NHS bids receiving funding are:

- £3 million towards the development of a new town centre primary care facility in Hartlepool;

- £3.7 million to refurbish St Charles Hospital in North Kensington in London;

- £5 million for a new health park at Keynsham in Bath and North Somerset;

- £6.4 million towards a new health and social care campus at Dursley, Berkeley Vale;

- £7 million towards a joint health and community campus development for Selby;

- £13.2 million for the development of two community hospitals at Moreton and at Bourton in the North Cotswolds;

- £17.1 million to develop a community hospital on the site of St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth;

- £19.3 million to provide a new community hospital facility at Malvern, and

- £20 million to develop three community hospitals in East Riding at Beverley, Horsea and Driffield hospitals.

2. The total capital value of this wave is equivalent to approximately £132 million, of which £95 million will be contributed by the community hospitals and services programme. The Department is making a total of £750 million capital available over five years for the development of a new generation of community hospitals and services.

3. Capital funding will be available to PCTs for a broad spectrum of community schemes. PCTs are being encouraged to work with a range of partners, including NHS partners, local authorities, or independent sector providers.

4. Decisions on whether to allocate capital funding are based on the PCT's investment proposal as well as fitting with SHA strategic plans and have been judged on merit.

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