The Health Secretary has announced that hospital staff, patients and visitors in hospitals which are part of the Great Western Hospital Trust will benefit from refurbished wards, brand new electrics and upgraded ventilation systems.
The Government has announced allocations of £600 million to tackle critical maintenance work in hospitals across England, including projects for the Great Western Trust.
The Trust will receive £195k to carry out the work, which could include building new or refurbishing buildings to deliver key services, upgrades to electrical infrastructure, improvements to ventilation systems, works to improve fire safety and the replacement of hospital lifts. The work will be completed by March 2021.
The money is part of a £1.5 billion announced by the Prime Minister in the summer to level up hospital infrastructure across the NHS. While £600 million will be spent on these critical maintenance upgrades, the remainder will be spent on modernising mental health facilities, expanding A&E capacity and improving infection control ahead of winter.
As last year’s General Election, the Conservatives promised to invest in the NHS to ensure NHS staff have world-class facilities to provide care for patients. Since August last year, the Government has confirmed £850 million to upgrade 20 hospitals and £3.7 billion to help deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030. Last month’s Spending Review announced a dedicated £1.2 billion for NHS new hospitals in 2021-22. Good progress has also been made on the Conservatives’ pledge of 50,000 more nurses by 2025 – with the latest statistics showing there are already 14,800 more nurses in the NHS than a year ago.
The latest funding is in addition to the £29.573million investment from the Government to expand A&E services at the GWH. A new Integrated Front Door and Transitional Care Facility is to be built, which will provide a reconfigured and rightsized Emergency Department as well as a transitional care facility. The new facility will ensure that patients can access the very best healthcare in a new, state-of-the-art, and expanded facility. Both Swindon MPs, Justin Tomlinson & Robert Buckland, backed the hospital’s bid for this vital funding; directly lobbying Ministers including the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
Another £13million of funding was secured to build a new radiotherapy centre at the hospital. The money was secured following a £2.9million fundraising campaign by Brighter Futures, and support from Robert and Justin.
Commenting North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson and South Swindon Robert Buckland said:
“We are delighted that the GWH will benefit from Government funding to carry out vital maintenance work over the coming months.
“These crucial projects will deliver immediate benefits and provide NHS staff with the facilities they need to provide world-class care to patients.
“The Government promised to invest heavily in our NHS, and it is fantastic to see the GWH benefitting as a result. We will continue to lobby Ministers to ensure that the GWH continues to benefit from additional funding.”
Also commenting, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
“Alongside delivering on our manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals and 20 major hospital upgrades across the country, this investment will help our NHS build back better.
“These crucial maintenance projects will deliver immediate benefits and provide NHS staff with the facilities they need to provide world-class care to their patients this winter, helping ensure the NHS is always there for you when you need it.”
