Local community voice overwhelming support for a new hospital at Whipps Cross
Feedback from residents and staff published today reveals overwhelming support for building a new hospital at Whipps Cross. Around 500 local residents and staff responded to our survey, with 87% backing the proposals for building a new hospital and 70% agreeing that this would require redeveloping other parts of the site.
Improving patient experience and clinical safety topped the list of what matters most to people, including the need for the hospital to be sized appropriately for a growing population. Other key considerations included transport, views on developing the rest of the site and environmental sustainability.
As well as publishing the full survey results, a summary version of the feedback was also published and a response document setting out how we will use the feedback to help develop plans.
The response document includes a commitment to:
- continue to work with local health partners to ensure the right services are put in place to best meet the future health needs of the population
- work with the council in looking at the opportunity to build new homes and other facilities on site. They anticipate that this will include an assumption that 50% of any new housing development will be affordable housing, with the opportunity to consider demand for key worker housing as part of that.
- establish within the hospital’s design principles that it will deliver the lowest carbon footprint possible
- set up a sustainable transport group to help make sure all public access and transport issues are considered
Alastair Finney, Redevelopment Programme Director, said:
“I’m delighted to have received this level of support. It confirms what anecdotally we had been hearing. The community loves the NHS services it has here but has longed for better and more modern facilities on the site.
Building a brand new state-of-the-art public hospital is a once in a lifetime opportunity and a huge responsibility to get this right for patients now as well as for future generations.
The feedback received will help inform our plans and make sure we respond to the needs of the people who will be using the services and the wider community. We are 100% committed to continuing to engage with people now and throughout the lifespan of the project.”
For more information about the redevelopment programme visit www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/future-whipps, email FutureWhipps.BartsHealth@nhs.net or follow #FutureWhipps and @WhippsCrossHosp on Twitter.
