5 August 2009
Patient representatives, local residents, politicians, charities and a whole host of other key players from across Epsom and the surrounding areas have been invited to attend a special event to help the Trust shape the future of Epsom Hospital.
Earlier this year, the Trust launched a project to develop a vision (also known as a strategic outline case (SOC)) for the future of the site, including where we need to invest money to make sure we have the right buildings and infrastructure in place to meet the needs of the local population.
Since then, the project team, as well as other senior Trust staff, have met with a wide range of staff, volunteers, patient representatives, local councillors and other stakeholders, including local NHS partners, to find out what they think a future Epsom Hospital should look like.
Thanks to their input, the project team has developed a long-list of options. The purpose of the event, which will be held on 19 August, is for representatives of the local community to help the Trust identify a short-list of five or six options which can then be studied in more detail.
More than 75 people are expected to attend the event, with invited guests including:
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Disability Information Centre Epsom (DICE)
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Elmbridge Borough Council
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Epsom & Ewell Borough Council
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Epsom Hospital League of Friends
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Epsom Hospital radio
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Epsom Medical Equipment Fund
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GPs
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Local NHS partners, including NHS Surrey, NHS South East Coast and Central Surrey Health
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Macmillan Butterfly Centre (Epsom Hospital)
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Mole Valley District Council
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MPs
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Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
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Residents' association representatives
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Surrey County Council
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Surrey Local Involvement Networks (LINks)
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WRVS (Epsom)
Peter Coles, interim Chief Executive, said: "We know that local people care deeply about the future of Epsom Hospital and acknowledge the uncertainty there has been about it in the past.
"The development of a vision for Epsom Hospital is the first step to a major multi-million pound investment into the site, helping to ensure we have the right buildings and infrastructure in place to meet the future needs of the people of Epsom and surrounding areas.
"We are also exploring opportunities to further develop the services offered on the site and to make sure we are able to meet new government standards, for instance the number of single bed rooms available to our patients.
"This event will allow key stakeholders, including patient representatives and local politicians, to help us prioritise the options we should look at in further detail."
The strategic outline case for Epsom Hospital will consider:
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The need to ensure patients receive the best possible care in a clean and welcoming environment;
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What opportunities there are to further develop the services offered at Epsom Hospital;
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The commissioning intentions published by NHS Surrey (formerly Surrey Primary Care Trust) earlier this year, i.e. the services they want the Trust to provide to the people of Epsom and surrounding areas;
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The increasing trend for more services to be provided in the community;
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Updated planning assumptions for future growth of the local population and the changing health needs of patients;
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New standards in the treatment of patients, including those aimed at reducing the incidence of healthcare acquired infections and ensuring patients are treated with privacy and dignity;
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The impact of the recession on available finances and opportunities to attract new investment.
It is anticipated that the strategic outline case will be completed by October. It will then need to be agreed by the Trust Board before being sent to our strategic health authority for approval. After this, the Trust will develop an outline business case.
Peter continued: "Whilst the exact cost of what needs to be spent on the Epsom Hospital site won't be known for some time, early indications are that the Trust could borrow up to £70 million, excluding any additional funding we might receive from third parties, for instance local charitable trusts.
"Because of competition laws, we aren't able to work with just one charitable trust at this stage and need to make sure we consider how a range of potential partners might be involved in the development of the Epsom site. However, once the vision is complete, we will be able to work more closely with these organisations to see how they can support our plans for the site."
A public meeting to announce plans for the future of the Epsom Hospital site will take place in November. Details about this event will be announced shortly.
