By Steve Brine
Steve Brine is urging Winchester residents to have their say on future of Royal Hampshire County Hospital THERE is no question the biggest health story this past year has been the Covid pandemic so constituents could be forgiven for thinking this was the only show in town. They’d be wrong. Of course our area has suffered like every other, with painful loss and economic fallout from the restrictions on our lives. But while all this was going on, our local NHS Trust (HHFT) has been working on plans that could have even more far-reaching consequences. Last year HHFT ran the Hampshire Together programme to look at plans to deliver a new hospital to serve the people of north and mid Hampshire and how the emerging integrated care system will bring together GPs, mental health, community and social care.
HAMPSHIRE health bosses are delaying their public consultation over a new hospital. Plans are being drawn up for a new hospital near Basingstoke, sparking fears that it will mean a long-term downgrading of services at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. Bosses said today that more detailed planning work is needed before the proposals are seen by the public. The consultation had been due this summer. Maggie MacIsaac, chief executive of Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, and Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in a joint statement, said: “In discussion with national and regional NHS colleagues, we have agreed together that our plans for a new hospital will be even stronger if we can incorporate newly available national planning information and recent learnings from others around the country.
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