FOUR members of Warrington Borough Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny committee have stepped into the debate over the future of Warrington Hospital – and where it should be.
Conflicting claims have emerged following a meeting of the committee attended by hospital chief executive Mel Pickup.
Warrington North MP Helen Jones has claimed Ms Pickup suggested the existing hospital should be closed and a new one built in the south of the borough.
But Ms Pickup says no area of the town has been earmarked for a new hospital – although the existing site is “gridlocked” and it is time to consider a new state-of-the-art modern hospital.
Now the four councillors claim it WAS suggested that the new hospital should be south of the Manchester Ship Canal – but that the suggestion came from Dr Andrew Davies, clinical chief officer of Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group.
Cllr John Kerr-Brown, Poplars and Hulme, said: “Dr Andrew Davies was clear that their vision for a new hospital was one located south of the ship canal. His statement was questioned by several members, who believed any location in the southernmost part of the borough, close to rural Cheshire, would make it difficult for the most vulnerable people to access hospital services.”
Cllr Andrew Hill, Rixton and Woolston, said: “It was not only suggested that the hospital be moved to south of the ship canal, it was also suggested that some hospital services would be moved into a separate facility in Bath Street.
“The clear view of the committee was that this facility simply isn’t big enough.”
Cllr Jan Davidson, Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft, said: “If a new hospital was built close to rural Cheshire, it would make it very difficult for residents of my ward to get there.
“If a new hospital were to be built, a location far more central would be the best option.”
Cllr Linda Dirir added: “The current location of the hospital is central and easily accessible for Warrington residents by public transport.
“To move the hospital to any location south of the river, as was suggested in the meeting, would disadvantage the poorest and most vulnerable in Warrington, which is not acceptable.”
Warrington Hospital
Where should the town’s new hospital be built?
77 Comments
7 Comments
The hospital covers a large site and it is still no where near big enough. There is just not enough parking. Where in town is there a site large enough to accommodate the new hospital? There is plenty of room south of the canal, where is the room for a ‘central location’? Access issues could be resolved by the provision of new bus routes. It is more important to have a hospital you can actually get into when you get there. The reality is, many times I have to find somewhere else to park away from the hospital and walk a long way to get there. Given that people generally go to hospital because they are ill, having to walk that far is a real issue.
Whiston solved the parking problem by building a proper multi-storey car park. There is room for something similar at the existing Lovely Lane hospital. This solution would eventually free up areas for improvement at Lovely Lane.
It looks suspiciously like a ‘south of the ship canal site’ would be to merge all hospital services with those of Halton on one site……with the added benefit to housing developers in attracting buyers for their planned mass developments in South Warrington.
As Warrington has expanded so much over the years the logical option would be to build a second hospital in addition to retaining the present one. Manchester and Liverpool have numerous hospitals Warrington the ‘wanna-be-a-city’ thinks one is enough!
I find it amazing that in the negotiations for Warrington being dumped with being the ‘powerhouse’ (aka s***-****) of the North that no compensatory contributions were secured from central government. A few extra hospitals should have been first on a long list of requirements.
SHA,
I don’t understand your point of view. Taking up the offer of being part of the “Powerhouse” stuff is voluntary. You don’t have to take the extra money on offer. Warrington can just sulk in the corner if it likes.
The reason we have a problem with traffic you will recall is that the New Town planned major new roads and bridge which the Borough Council objected to. They weren’t built and the funds went away with the Development Corporation because they were approved and started. They would have been funded by the sale of homes in the South, so now is the time to get those contributions from the builders to whom the HCA (successor to the WRDC) sells the land. If those roads and bridge had been built a lot of the issues we face would be very different.
It is Warrington and Halton Hospital Trust and having two hospitals in Warrington is simply not fair or, I suspect, financially viable.
Could the ideal site be a large detention on the B.U.P.A. hospital at Stretton. Plenty of room for expansion. Or the old Thames Board site with all the new roads being built in that area.
I live in South Warrington and have travelled to work at the Hospital and for appointments by getting 2 buses either way for over 14 years. Why should it not work the other way round? As long as Network Warrington or other bus companies provide adequate transport to and from the site, I can’t see the problem and the arguments about the Swing Bridge delaying ambulance patients to get to hospital, what about the Patients from South Warrington already delayed by Bridges, do they not count???
could the moving of network warrington and then use the land from the old rugby ground also, would this free up land and keep the hospital in the warrington centre?.