The Secretary of State for Health visited Watford General Hospital today on Thursday 11th April, at the invitation of Watford MP Richard Harrington.
Jeremy Hunt spent three hours meeting staff and patients in the A&E Department, Flaunden Ward and Theatres, hearing their views on the NHS and their hospital experiences.
The Health Secretary, who was invited to make the visit to Watford by Richard Harrington MP, spent time with staff from all areas and levels of the organisation. He was keen to discuss the achievements and challenges of the Trust and their opinion on what could be done in the future to improve the NHS, both for patients and staff.
Reflecting on his visit, Mr Hunt said: “It was great to meet NHS staff at Watford General and hear about the work they do. Staff are at the heart of the NHS and I was privileged to meet so many members of staff today who are clearly committed to providing the best care possible to their patients."
Richard Harrington MP said: “I am very grateful for Jeremy agreeing to come and visit Watford General, to meet with staff and discuss ways forward for local healthcare. Like Jeremy, I am continually impressed by the hard work and dedication of the staff, often working in very difficult circumstances.
“Great achievements have been made in recent years but there is still much more to do and I am pleased that the Department of Health are committed to improving services in Watford and continue their investments in local provisions and services.”
Samantha Jones, Chief Executive said: “I was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Health to Watford today. This was a fantastic opportunity for us to show him the workings of one of our hospitals and the challenges of a very busy A&E department which treats almost 80,000 patients a year. He was impressed with the commitment of our staff and the wonderful job they do, day in and day out.”