County councillors show support for hospital redevelopment scheme

The leader of Hertfordshire County Council is to write to the prime minister in support of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s redevelopment plans, following this week’s health scrutiny committee meeting. Committee members recognised the now urgent need for residents in west Hertfordshire to have access to new and better hospital buildings and facilities.

A motion was carried for Councillor Richard Roberts to officially set out the council’s support and to ask that the trust’s plans be fully funded.

This gesture comes as the trust proceeds with work on its outline business case (OBC), which lays out different cost options for rebuilding and refurbishing its three hospitals. The OBC will ultimately be submitted to the New Hospital Programme and Treasury for approval and funding.

Following many years of pursuing funding and extensive consideration of new site options, the trust is committed to retaining and refurbishing its current three sites as the best and fastest route to new and better hospital buildings. Improvements to the trust’s ageing facilities are now urgently needed.

Deputy Chief Executive Helen Brown said: “Many of Hertfordshire’s county councillors have shared our hopes and disappointments over the many years we have been trying to secure significant investment for our hospitals.

“The cross-party support from county councillors is a great example of patients and not politics taking centre stage. We very much appreciate the endorsement of our plans and are grateful for any help with our continued efforts to secure funding.

“This latest show of support builds on the backing from St Albans and Watford councils, the MPs for those two areas, the Elected Mayor of Watford and, of course, our staff.”