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MP determined to see Horton get the investment it needs
02/12/2022
A decision on £350m from the government’s New Hospitals Programme is yet to be announced
There’s still no decision on whether government funding will be made available to build a brand-new hospital on the existing Horton General Hospital site.
The Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust put in a bid for around £350m from the government’s New Hospitals Programme in September last year.
Yesterday Banbury’s MP Victoria Prentis met virtually with the senior management team from the hospital and agreed to speak to her colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care about the plans. She said she would emphasise the need for investment in the Horton.
Initial plans last year proposed a brand-new hospital built on the existing site. The building would be 58,000 square metres in size and would replace the existing buildings, which are 30,700 square metres.
David Walliker, Chief Digital and Partnerships Officer for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our expression of interest (EOI) to the Government’s new hospital bid process sets out a vision for flexible and adaptable space to meeting changing requirements with an opportunity for future expansion. This approach will facilitate improved ways of working and enable delivery of integrated working across health and social care with wider public-sector parties.
“In our recent meeting with Victoria Prentis MP, we discussed the status of this bid, the development of the Trust’s future clinical strategy and our commitment to delivering high quality services from the Horton General Hospital for the local population.”
Victoria Prentis said: “We know from the Autumn Statement that the Government remains committed to its New Hospitals Programme. The Trust submitted a bid as part of this process last year which is still under consideration.
“During the meeting we agreed that I will speak to my colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care about the plans and emphasise our need for investment in the Horton.”
Mrs Prentis added: “The Horton remains my top priority. I am determined to see the hospital get the investment it needs to ensure it can continue to serve our growing town.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam