North Devon District Hospital delay a "devastating blow"
There is anger over a decision by the Government to delay the rebuilding of North Devon District Hospital for at least a decade. North Devon MP Ian Roome has led the outcry - labelling the news a “devastating blow and major setback for North Devon”.
It comes after a review by Labour into the New Hospital Programme. It was originally promised by Boris Johnson in 2020, but Health Secretary Wes Streeting said yesterday that other schemes would get priority. Work on a new emergency care centre at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth is due to begin before 2030.
The hospital in Barnstaple is mainland England’s most remote and suffers from a high level of infrastructure risk on site, particularly around the condition of the theatres and critical care. Work was originally promised for completion by 2030 but will now take place between 2035 and 2038.
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Concerns have been raised about the potential impact the delay may have on patient safety in the region. The New Hospital Programme in North Devon already had a delivery partner and was going through final business case approvals.
Ian Roome MP said: “This is a devastating decision. Patient safety here in North Devon is at risk and we have been desperately let down. We simply can’t wait any longer for North Devon District Hospital to be rescued.
“The neglect of NDDH will have a ripple effect on the entire Devon healthcare system. Both the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital and Derriford Hospital already face serious pressure on service delivery, and confronting NDDH’s patient load would be catastrophic. It could also translate to the local population having long travel times to the next nearest hospital at our site in Exeter.”
“The Health Secretary must immediately publish the impact assessment of what the delays to completing North Devon District Hospital will mean for people here in North Devon and how much longer we will have to suffer with not fit for purpose local health services."
There has also been criticism of delays to redevelop Torbay Hospital.
Kevin Foster, ex Conservative MP for Torbay, said: "News Torbay Hospital's rebuild might not even start until 2035, is a shock and a blow to our bay. It is hard to see how the urgent need to replace buildings dating back to the 1920s at Torbay Hospital, the 3rd oldest in the NHS still in daily use, did not see it placed higher on Labour's priority list, with a rebuild now unlikely to be completed before the mid-late 2030s, if at all."