New Hospital Programme

Opened the debate

The MP thanked the Minister for responding to his debate on delays in building a new hospital in Sutton and refurbishment works at St Helier Hospital. He highlighted the Conservative party's pledge of delivering 48 hospitals by 2030, including the plans for a state-of-the-art specialist emergency care hospital in Sutton and upgrades to Epsom and St Helier Hospitals. Colburn expressed concern over delays due to the pandemic and previous scaremongering by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. He provided facts about the new hospital’s services and refurbishment costs, emphasising that 85% of patients will continue to be treated at Epsom and St Helier while the new hospital provides critical care. Colburn stressed the importance of addressing maintenance issues and improving patient safety until the new facilities are operational.

Government Response

Minister Will Quince thanked Elliot Colburn for raising the debate on delays in building a new hospital in Sutton. He confirmed that Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust is part of cohort 3 pathfinder schemes within the national programme approach, currently at outline business case stage with £20.5 million received to date. The Minister highlighted the Government's commitment to Hospital 2.0, an integrated systems approach aiming for up to a 25% efficiency increase compared to traditional methods. He announced plans for parliamentary events and roadshows to demonstrate progress on new hospital designs. Quince confirmed Lord Markham’s visit to the trust when his schedule permits. Regarding maintenance, he noted that NHS organisations are legally responsible but acknowledged decreasing backlog levels since 2016-17. The Government has invested substantial sums in capital investment for trusts to maintain and refurbish premises, including £4.2 billion this year and £8.4 billion over the next two years. He assured continued support through events, communication pieces, milestone moments, and parliamentary engagement to ensure efficient delivery of new facilities.