10 September 2008
A proposal to reshape local health services in Sutton and Merton at a cost of around £215 million is going to the Boards of Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust this month for approval.
The detailed 'Programme of Investment Overview' makes proposals for capital spending on a major investment in St Helier Hospital and four new 'local care centres' in the two boroughs. In addition, 'intermediate care' services for people who don't need to go to
hospital or who need rehabilitation after a hospital stay, would be expanded, with many people receiving care in their own homes.
St Helier Hospital would remain the major hospital for the two boroughs, complete with its 24 hour A&E department and range of inpatient services. It would be substantially rebuilt at a cost of approximately £140 million to provide care for 21st century patients, including 50 per cent single rooms to give patients greater privacy and to help protect against the spread of infections.
The cost of building the new local care centres is estimated to be £57 million, with the intermediate care centre estimated to cost £12 million.
Over half of all outpatient work would move to the new local care centres - at the Nelson Hospital, the Wilson Hospital, Shotfield Health Centre and at St Helier Hospital itself, where a range of outpatient, diagnostic and clinical services would be established, including an urgent care centre for nonemergency patients. The cost of the urgent care centre is estimated to be around £5 million.
Services for women and children are not included in the business case as a review of these services is being carried out.
Chief Executive of the PCT Bill Gillespie said: "We have made major progress in recent months and the submission of the proposal is a significant landmark. At last we can see a clear direction which we believe will result both in much more care being provided closer to where people live and the major rebuilding of St Helier.
"We have had extensive discussions with local people since we launched our original consultation document in 2004 and we believe it is now time to move forward to make the changes."
Samantha Jones, Chief Executive of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "These plans will help us to further improve the services that we give to local people, in particular making sure that they receive safe, high quality care in a clean and welcoming environment that is easy to access from their own homes."
If the proposals are approved by the Boards of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and Sutton and Merton PCT, they will be submitted to NHS London, the strategic health authority. If approved, local people will see phased developments between 2010 and 2017.
