THE campaign for a brand new £300m hospital in Warrington town centre is gathering pace as Andy Carter MP called on Boris Johnson to back the bid during Prime Ministers Questions.
For the second week in a row the Warrington South made a case for more investment for Warrington at Prime Ministers Questions.
In his question to the Prime Minister Mr Carter asked the Government to back the bid for a new purpose-built General Hospital in Warrington which has already been selected as number one choice for the Merseyside and Cheshire region.
Mr Carter emphasised that Warrington hospital serves some of the most deprived wards in England where life expectancy is, in parts, almost 12 years lower than the national average.
Warrington & Halton NHS Trust has submitted a bid to the Government for a new hospital in a town centre location and a decision is due to be made in the coming months. Currently, the national programme comprises 40 pre-existing schemes with a further 8 yet to be confirmed new hospitals, totalling 48 new hospitals across the country.
Speaking in Parliament during Prime Ministers Questions earlier today, Mr Carter said: “The nurses and doctors working at Warrington hospital in my constituency provide selfless care for families living in some of the most deprived areas of England where life expectancy is 12 years lower than that of the national average.
“At the same time, population has expanded with thousands of new homes being built in Warrington putting pressure on services, particularly at the general hospital. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that tackling health inequalities is key to levelling-up, and will he support my campaign for a new hospital in Warrington?”
The Prime Minister responded: “I know that this Government is building a record number of hospitals the total of 48 that we are building across the country. I am forbidden from pre-empting the application process, that I know his wonderful hospital is going through, but I wish him every success.”
Commenting further on the hospital bid, Mr Carter added: “I made a promise when I was elected to campaign to secure a new hospital for the people of Warrington. Whilst our doctors and nurses are doing a brilliant job, they are facing challenges with space and equipment. Warrington submitted a bid in October for £300 million funding for a new General Hospital, we know it has been selected as the number one choice for Merseyside and Cheshire region, I want the Government to understand that providing the right facilities will improve services and outcome for local families.
“This isn’t just about building a new hospital, this is about regenerating the town, with the hospital at the centre, better public transport, affordable homes and importantly, levelling up health inequalities that we see across Warrington and the wider region. The bid has cross-party support, raising it today is about making sure Warrington is at the top of the list when the Minister signs off future plans.”
Meanwhile, Lucy Gardner, Director of Strategy and Partnerships and Executive lead for the New Hospital’s Programme said: “We remain extremely grateful to Mr Carter, and indeed all of our MPs, for his continued and proactive support of our New Hospitals Programme.
“The Trust has submitted a proposal to secure one of the last remaining eight places in HMGovernment’s national new hospitals programme which will provide grant funding totalling £3.7billion.
“We believe our scheme is unique in that it will support the regeneration of the towns of Warrington and Runcorn, tackling health inequalities, deprivation and supporting new growth, development and prosperity of the local communities. This will be through new jobs associated with construction as well as access to multi-professional education, training, and vocational employment. The commitment to reducing harmful pollution and carbon emissions – to the tune of 11K tonnes per year – is central to planned infrastructure development.
“The new hospitals programme will create two co-dependent acute hospitals with services targeted to local needs addressing deficits in life expectancy. A new purpose-built hospital in Warrington for emergency and unplanned care and women’s and children’s services and a state-of-the-art planned care centre in Runcorn, Halton. The existing flagship Captain Sir Tom Moore building will be extended to become an outstanding dedicated centre for planned care, taking advantage of its location and accessibility to host services for Halton, Warrington and for the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Region.
“A final decision on the funding of successful bids is expected later this year, meanwhile we remain committed to making the most of our ageing estate and facilities to ensure the people of Warrington and Halton can access the very best care and support when they need it.”
