New Basingstoke Hospital delayed again; now invest in our A&E!

The Conservatives’ promised new hospital in Basingstoke has been delayed once again, this time until 2048, leaving Winchester services in limbo.

Liberal Democrats, who have led the campaign to save Winchester A&E and consultant-led maternity services, are asking: what happens next?

Danny Chambers said, “I have said from the start that services must be saved and improved in Winchester. The Conservatives wanted to ship them off to Basingstoke and now Labour aren’t even building the hospital to ship them off to, it’s a total shambles. It will be a travesty if services are allowed to decline while communities wait decades for a new hospital”.

“If there isn’t a new hospital, existing sites like Winchester A&E and Maternity Services have to be maintained and upgraded, with more funding,” he said.  “I will continue to push for the  government to properly invest in our hospital”

With Conservatives banking on a new hospital, there is now a backlog of maintenance and upgrades needed for the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

Lib Dem leader of Winchester City Council, Cllr Martin Tod said: “hospitals are already under extreme pressure with frail and elderly people waiting in corridors."

“It’s a national scandal, and it’s worse than ever. There’s no privacy, or dignity. There have been tragic cases of people dying on trolleys and left undiscovered for hours.” said Martin.

“The A&E corridor crisis has to end. That means investment in the services we have now, not waiting until 2048.”