Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow welcomes Government commitment for Musgrove Park Hospital Upgrade
Rebecca Pow MP welcomes news that the Government remain committed to the delivery of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s scheme for Musgrove Park Hospital.
The announcement was made by the Secretary of State for Health yesterday in a statement to the House of Commons who confirmed that Musgrove Park Hospital is part of ‘Cohort 4’ and it remains on track for completion by 2030.
Working with the leadership team at Musgrove Park Hospital, Rebecca started to make the case to Ministers in Westminster for the upgrade after she was first elected in 2015.
It began with a focus on upgrading the outdated and dilapidated surgical unit. Back in January 2018, Rebecca secured a debate in Parliament calling on the Government to back a bid from Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH) to upgrade their outdated surgery facilities before launching a petition to help demonstrate public support for the plans. The petition gathered over 6,000 signatures and was presented to Government.
In March 2018, the then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP announced that Musgrove Park Hospital’s £79m funding bid for a new surgical centre was successful which enabled the Trust to replace the outdated theatres, endoscopy and critical care facilities.
In December 2019, in the next important milestone, Rebecca and the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust team secured government seed funding for the Trust to develop their business case for an upgrade of the entire site.
The Trust’s ambitious plan – called Musgrove 2030 –included a new maternity and children’s building and further development of its cancer and emergency services.
Next, in October 2021, work began on the multi-million-pound multi-specialty acute assessment hub which opened in November 2022. The unit is purpose-built and brings surgeons, emergency doctors and other healthcare professionals closer together, with a much better environment for patients and staff too.
At the beginning of 2023, Rebecca met with the Health Secretary Steve Barclay MP to further press the case for the upgrade. In recent months Rebecca has brought representatives from the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust leadership team to meet both the Social Care Minister and the Secondary Care Minister to keep up the pressure.
Local MP Rebecca Pow MP said:
“I am delighted that the Government have confirmed that they remain committed to the delivery of the scheme for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for Musgrove Park Hospital. I would like pay tribute to everyone who has made this possible and for their tireless work in helping to bring about this outcome.
Importantly, the announcement will allow this scheme to continue to progress, and the Government will be supporting the Trust to carry out early works in advance of main construction and it remains on track for completion by 2030.
We have all been working towards this for many years now starting with the development of the new theatre complex for which I was proud to play my part in securing £79 million and subsequently £11 million to build the surgical decision unit.
Obviously, the ultimate goal was to make the case for the entire upgrade of the site, and I am pleased that this has been recognised; there are many antiquated buildings on the site including the WW2 maternity unit where I had my three children, and their transformation will all be a key part of the upgrade plans. There is still a long way to go but this announcement confirms that progress is underway.
Musgrove Park Hospital has always offered excellent care but now we can look forward to it being delivered in world-class facilities in the years ahead. This is wonderful news for patients and people right across Taunton Deane and Somerset more widely.”
Commenting, Chair of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Colin Drummond said:
“This is wonderful news for the people of Somerset and a great boost for our colleagues throughout the Trust. It was the result of excellent work by the team in SFT and unremitting efforts at a high level in government over a period of years. I would like to thank Rebecca for all her stalwart support and partnership in an outstanding team effort.”
Commenting, Secretary of State or Health, Steve Barclay MP said:
“It’s a real tribute to Rebecca, she has lobbied me and has lobbied extremely hard on behalf of her constituents. She made the case effectively to Government, officials have looked at the detail of the scheme and that’s why it’s fully funded.”
