ACCIDENT and Emergency at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital could be expanded as part of a £60million investment bid by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
Health chiefs will submit their bid for a share of the cash being proposed by the Department of Heath and Social Care in the Government’s NHS Funding Bill 2020, which received its second reading in the House of Commons this week.
The bid has won the support of Worcester MP Robin Walker and comes after a meeting between county health bosses and the county’s MPs which saw the trust reveal plans for an expansion of A&E at the Royal, the creation of additional Same Day Emergency Care assessment space, the creation of a designated Paediatric Emergency Department, a new diagnostic area and a larger stroke ward.
Proposals for the introduction of a Digital Care Record and an expansion of the Emergency Department at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch are also on the cards in a bid to ease the pressure on the county’s main two hospitals.
Following the meeting with the Trust, Mr Walker said: “I very much welcome the proposals set out by the Acute Trust and the proposed £60million capital investment for Worcestershire Royal.
“The £29 million which I helped secure previously has made a difference, but more investment is needed to address the challenges that the hospital currently faces.”
“I am pleased the Acute Trust will be bidding to the Department to take advantage of the additional funding that this Government is making available to support our NHS and I will be working with my fellow Worcestershire MPs to champion these proposals within the coming weeks to ensure Worcester gets its fair share.
“This investment would make a massive difference to improve services for my constituents, especially the creation of the dedicated Children’s Emergency Department and the expansion of the Emergency Departments at both hospitals sites, which would help to ease the burden placed upon Worcestershire Royal.”
