Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says “progress is being made” on a multi-million pound project to redevelop Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital. Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH), which runs both hospitals, was chosen by the Government as one of 40 major hospital trusts to receive a portion of a £3.7bn pot of cash for the project.
The trust has called the vast building project ‘Tomorrow’s NUH’. During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on March 1, Gedling’s Conservative MP Tom Randall asked Mr Sunak for an update on the huge scheme.
Mr Randall said: “Will he further reaffirm the Government’s commitment to the redevelopment of the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital in the second biggest hospital investment programme in the country?” The Prime Minister replied: “I can confirm that we are committed to a new hospital scheme at Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital as part of our new hospitals programme.
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“I know progress is being made and I look forward to seeing the project come to completion.” Under the plans the maternity and neonatal services could be merged at Queen’s Medical Centre in a new Women’s and Children’s hospital.
The QMC could become the main site for emergency care, and a new cancer centre is proposed on top of car park one. A helipad is also planned. Most planned operations, such as hip replacements and cataract surgery, would be delivered at the City Hospital, with some emergency care moving to the QMC. Cancer treatment would continue to be delivered across both sites.
City Hospital could then be transformed into a “centre of excellence for elective care”. Funding for the Tomorrow’s NUH plan is expected to be released between 2025 and 2030 and a public consultation will take place early in 2023.
Mr Randall also asked the Prime Minister to join him in congratulating NHS workers at the trust, after it was revealed progress had been made in cutting down waiting lists for non-urgent operations. The trust managed to reduce the number of patients waiting more than 18 months by 26 per cent from January to February 2023, despite winter pressures and strike action.
The number of patients waiting more than 18 months for their planned operations, including hip and knee replacements, hernia repairs and ear, nose and throat surgery, dropped from 803 on January 15, 2023 to 591 as of February 12. It achieved this through the investment in a third surgical robot, artificial intelligence and a new surgical ward called the Jubilee Unit, which recently opened at City Hospital.
Mr Sunak, who has said reducing NHS waiting lists is one of his targets for 2023, added: “I join my honourable friend in thanking everyone at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust and their fantastic work.”
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