WARRINGTON South MP Faisal Rashid has lashed out at Government plans for “40 new hospitals” after it emerged funding was only available to reconfigure six existing hospitals.
None of them are in the North West with the six projects based in North East London, Surrey, West Hertfordshire, Essex, Leicester and Leeds.
Faisal said: “Parts of the Warrington Hospital site are more than 100 years old and essential maintenance of the building costs around £2 million a year, a huge challenge to run an efficient and effective hospital facility.”
As chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Healthcare Infrastructure, Mr Rashid has led demands for a new, state of the art hospital to be built in the town.
Warrington’s growing population requires a local hospital facility that can cater to the full spectrum of patients’ needs, including comprehensive A&E services, he believes.
He said: “The Government doesn’t have a plan to build 40 new hospitals, it is just reconfiguring six. None of these will have any impact whatsoever on cash-starved NHS infrastructure in the North West.
“Here in Warrington, we have a hospital facility which is massively outdated – some of the estate is over 100 years old. It costs roughly £2 million a year just to keep the crumbling buildings to a usable standard and it is so obvious that investment is desperately needed.
“There is nothing more important than the health and wellbeing of the people in our town. We deserve services that fully meet the needs of local people. We know that there are growing numbers of elderly residents and those with complex health issues. Our local health services must be able to meet these challenges.
“A Government with a long-term plan for the NHS would invest in a new, all-purpose hospital facility for our town. You just can’t trust the Tories with our NHS.
“As MP for Warrington South, I will be writing to the Health Minister to ask him to explain why my constituency is still being overlooked for desperately needed NHS investment. I will continue to fight for a new, fit for purpose hospital for our town.”
