On Friday 7th December 2018, Richard Harrington MP announces a major funding boost for Watford General Hospital after securing £11 million from the Department of Health and Social Care to revamp Emergency Care.
Local MP, Richard Harrington, has been campaigning for the extra funds to redevelop the hospital and working closely with Ministers at the Department for Health and Social Care, as well as staff at West Herts Hospitals Trust. Earlier this year, Mr Harrington invited the Secretary of State to Watford General to discuss these plans.
Richard Harrington MP said:
“I’m absolutely delighted to announce that we’ve had the green light this morning for a major investment in Watford General, after successfully securing £11 million from the Department of Health and Social Care to transform Emergency Care.
After hearing that money was needed for our A&E, I invited the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to Watford to see first-hand where money could improve patient care in A&E by making it more efficient. I secured £11 million from the Department of Health and Social Care to totally revamp the emergency department. The extra funds will add ten new ‘major’ cubicles for adults, and a brand new paediatric assessment centre. This is on top of the £1.2 million that I pushed for to help with winter pressures.
Locally I know there is still more to do and revamping our A&E is the first step in plans to totally redevelop our hospital. But good healthcare starts with our pharmacies, who are the first port of call, and our GP surgeries. That’s why I also fought for the expansion of GP hours in Watford, which are now delivering an extra 17,000 appointments a year.
I’d like to thank the Secretary of State, Matt Hancock MP, who I’ve been working closely with this on, as well as all the brilliant staff at our hospital.”
This is part of £1bn extra capital funding being announced across England. It comes on top of the £20.5bn per year extra funding for the NHS over the next five years - the longest and largest funding settlement in the NHS’s history. The investment is part of the wider plan to provide better services for patients, integrate care better and renew aging facilitates.
Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health, said:
“The increased funding and the Long Term Plan demonstrates our abiding commitment to the NHS so the NHS can be there for all of us, free at the point of use, long into the future.”