Update - 5 June 2024 - Greg Hands has secured Government commitment and funding towards the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital.
Greg has secured Government commitment and funding towards the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital.
Last week (28 May) the Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Victoria Atkins, joined Greg at the hospital and discussed Greg’s and the Government’s commitment to the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital. You can watch their video here.
Greg has led the campaign for the floor-by-floor refurbishment, meeting with local NHS managers, and chasing progress. This week (3 June) Greg met with Professor Tim Orchard, Chief Executive of Imperial College Healthcare.
The survey work is underway, and the Trust is continuing to develop first stage business cases, to be submitted this year.
So far, £13 million has been received to progress Imperial College NHS Trust’s development plans under the New Hospital Programme, a further £3.2 million has been allocated for Charing Cross/Hammersmith Hospitals for further work and they have also received £2.9 million of funding for ‘enabling works’.
So, the floor-by-floor refurbishment will be happening.
In the meantime, we have been adding so much to the world-class Charing Cross Hospital. Since the last General Election, endoscopy capacity has been doubled and the A&E department has also had a major refurbishment. Greg has been to the hospital on many occasions recently to see new facilities there.
Greg has a long history of supporting Charing Cross Hospital. He and his family have lived in Fulham for 34 years, and everyone uses it. Greg’s late brother was treated for cancer there for 11 years, and Greg himself has had three major ear operations there, taking advantage of the world-class ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) facilities.
Meanwhile, Labour are spreading misinformation and scaremongering, as they do at every election. At every General Election (2015, 2017, 2019, 2024) they have claimed that Charing Cross Hospital was going to either be closed or demolished.
But local residents can see for themselves that the hospital continues to provide world-class healthcare and is benefitting from new, state-of-the-art equipment like robotic surgery. The building itself is in need of refurbishment, but Greg has total commitment to the hospital, and that is why he has secured the funding towards the floor-by-floor refurbishment.
Labour and Labour Councillors in H&F have a long track record of lying about Charing Cross Hospital. They were rebuked by Imperial NHS Trust themselves two elections ago, when the trust addressed the Labour Council Leader that their election materials “made a number of incorrect and misleading claims about the future of Charing Cross Hospital which is likely to cause significant, unnecessary distress to patients and staff. As you will be fully aware, there have never been any plans to close Charing Cross Hospital.”
Labour have repeated similar claims at the 2019 General Election and again, now. Labour have been using our local hospital as a political football.
Moreover, Labour themselves are now the risk to the much-needed floor-by-floor refurbishment.
Their own new document, 'Build an NHS fit for the future' (page 6) states “Before we commit to any more money, we’d make an assessment of all NHS capital projects to make sure money is getting allocated efficiently, that we are eliminating waste, and that we are prioritising the projects that will get the patients the care they deserve faster.”
So, Labour would pause and review all capital programmes, putting the whole development at risk.
It is only Greg Hands who will work with the NHS to get Charing Cross Hospital the floor-by-floor refurbishment. A vote for the Labour candidate will put the progress we have made together at risk.
ENDS
Update – Government investment in equipment, investment in new facilities and the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross.
As you will know, Charing Cross Hospital is getting its floor-by-floor refurbishment, which is fantastic news for Chelsea & Fulham residents.
Greg has worked with his colleagues in the Government and the NHS Trust to secure funding towards the refurbishment. It was therefore great for Greg to welcome the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, to Charing Cross Hospital on Monday, 23 October 2023.
They met many members of the fantastic team at Charing Cross Hospital and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, including CEO Professor Tim Orchard.
They discussed the New Hospital Programme which Charing Cross Hospital is part of and saw Government investment in action with new state-of-the-art equipment, being used, as well as Government investment in new facilities that will continue to help staff improve patient care.
Greg and Steve were able to test a da Vinci X robot, which delivers more minimally invasive surgeries helping achieve better surgical outcomes and quicker recovery for patients. They also saw the new investment in endoscopy which doubles the capacity by the opening of a larger unit.
The hospital continues to see big Government investment and has a great future under the Conservatives!
- Update ends -
In the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday, 25 May 2023, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP made an announcement on the New Hospital Programme, which is the biggest hospital building programme in a generation. The announcement delivered great news for us locally in Fulham & Chelsea as on multiple occasions the Secretary of State for Health confirmed the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital.
The announcement also confirmed more than £20 billion of investment is expected for the NHS estate. As our local Charing Cross Hospital is in the New Hospital Programme, funding is secure for this refurbishment.
Despite this undeniable reassurance from the Secretary of State for Health, disgraceful rumours have been spreading that the refurbishment of our local hospitals has been scrapped. The local Labour-run Hammersmith & Fulham Council put out a Weekly Briefing on 26 May titled: ‘’Charing Cross Hospital refurbishment scrapped’’. Greg would like to categorically state - this is absolutely not true!
Not only is this incorrect, but it is also incredibly misleading. Residents across Fulham & Chelsea use and depend on Charing Cross Hospital and the excellent staff and healthcare that they provide. Spreading this misinformation only leads to confusion and frightens people. You might have seen that Councillor Amanda Lloyd-Harris has written to the Chief Executive of the Council to ask how this was permitted and issue a correction to recipients of the Weekly Briefing. You can read it in full here.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Labour have been misleading on Charing Cross Hospital. You may remember that in 2017 it reached such a height that the NHS wrote to the Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council disputing the Council’s ‘incorrect and misleading claims’ about the future of our fantastic Charing Cross Hospital.
The letter was from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Chief Executive Dr Tracey Batten and North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups Chief Officer Clare Parker, in which they wrote about a leaflet which was circulated with council tax updates to residents:
‘’This material made a number of incorrect and misleading claims about the future of Charing Cross Hospital which is likely to cause significant, unnecessary distress to patients and staff.
As you will be fully aware, there have never been any plans to close Charing Cross Hospital.’’
The letter also raised concerns about the Council choosing to spend public money fighting ‘closure plans’ that do not exist. In addition, the NHS felt it was necessary to raise a formal complaint about it.
At the moment, Labour are yet again making misleading claims about Charing Cross Hospital.
But back to the good news, which for Charing Cross Hospital means:
- The full refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital so the hospital is protected for future generations.
- Brand new energy centre to make Charing Cross Hospital greener, sustainable and more cost efficient.
- Over £20 billion of funding expected for the national New Hospital Programme so patients will have access to the health care facilities they need.
- Works to begin at Charing Cross Hospital in 2024, subject to survey work.
Following the announcement, Greg has met Professor Tim Orchard, Chief Executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to discuss the Trust’s plans and the next steps of the refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital.
The Secretary of State’s announcement is good news for local residents, Charing Cross patients, the excellent staff and healthcare that they provide. Commenting, the Secretary of State for Health said:
‘’After many conversations with Greg, who has been a tireless champion for local hospitals, I am pleased to confirm that the full refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital, a mix of refurbishment and rebuild at Hammersmith Hospital and the rebuild of St Mary’s will continue. This investment will benefit patients and staff by ensuring the hospitals are fit for the future, and I will continue to work closely with Greg as work progresses.’’
Greg and his family have used Charing Cross Hospital for more than 30 years, and he knows first-hand how important this service is. Greg is delighted to have helped secure this funding so our hospital can have a floor-by-floor refurbishment and residents can have access to the health care they need.
Greg will continue to follow developments very closely.