Alex's Response to the New Hospitals Programme Review
The Government has recently announced that, whilst the rebuild of Frimley Park Hospital will go ahead as scheduled, construction of the new Basingstoke Hospital has been significantly delayed, to the dismay of local residents, as well as MP Alex Brewer.
This comes after the conclusion of the New Hospital Programme review into Boris Johnson’s scheme to build 40 new hospitals.
The review found that the scheme was years behind schedule, and also that it was set to run out of money in March, despite a previous Health Secretary promising Parliament that more than £20bn in funding had been set aside.
Commenting, Alex described the previous Conservative Government as “reckless” for making promises it couldn’t follow through on, also criticising the current Government’s decision to delay the Basingstoke project for “letting down people near Basingstoke who rely on these services”.
Construction of the new hospital is now not expected to start until between 2037 and 2039. Alex has requested the Health Secretary immediately publish the impact assessment of what this delay will mean for local patients.
Alex has also pledged to push the Government to accelerate the project’s timetable for delivery, in addition to requesting a specific timetable for the Frimley Park rebuild, allowing the Government to be held to account on both projects.
