James invited the Health Minister, Ed Argar MP, to visit the QEH as part of his campaign for it to be selected as one of the eight additional new hospitals the government has committed to as part of the new hospital programme.
James and the Trust had the opportunity to show some of the 1,528 steel and timber support props which are now in 56 areas of the hospital. The minister spoke to patients in the Necton Ward and staff about the impact the props are having on their recovery and working environment.
The Health Minister was briefed on the proactive work the Trust is carrying out to improve the safety of its ageing estate. The work is now underway following the welcome allocation of £20.6 million in emergency capital funds, which will allow the hospital to create decant facilities for wards and theatres, enabling installation of failsafes in year one of a three year programme.
In addition, the Minister went to the new West Norfolk Eye Centre and heard how it will enable the Trust to carry out a further 2,000 Opthamology outpatient appointments, as well as 2,000 more intravitreal eye injections (used to treat a number of retinal conditions).
James has been campaiging for a new hospital for QEH since he was elected and this visit was part of the campaign to ensure QEH is selected as one of the new schemes to deliver a hospital fit for the future. He urged the minister to make decisions on the new hospitals as soon as possible given the pressing new at QEH. James will continue to campaign and make the case for QEH to become one of the new hospitals.
Commenting following the visit James said:
“It was good to welcome the Health Minister to QEH following the positive health regulator’s report so he could acknowledge the hard work of staff. It was also an opportunity to see the negative impact of the props on patient care that I have raised with him on many occasions.
As well as the new facilities including the West Norfolk Eye Centre funded by the Department of Health, ultimately patients and staff need a new hospital fit for the future.”
Minister for Health, Edward Argar MP said:
"It was a great pleasure to visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn with local MP, James Wild.
“The new West Norfolk Eye Centre at the hospital is a leader across the UK in ophthalmology and it was fantastic to meet Denise Smith and her team to hear about how they’ll be able to undertake thousands more appointments and treatments.
“Providing timely specialist eye care is key and I thank all of our ophthalmologists for working tirelessly during the pandemic.
“It was also a chance to see first-hand the very real estate challenges faced by the Trust – in particular the significant RAAC plank issues – and to hear about their proposals to improve their buildings.
“I was also pleased to see the work going into the hospital’s new facilities for wards and theatres, backed by over £20 million of additional government funding to improve care and help tackle the Covid backlog.”
Graham Ward, Acting Chair at QEH, commented:
“We were delighted to host the Minister for Health and grateful to him for taking the time to visit QEH and the new West Norfolk Eye Centre.
“The Minister heard how the West Norfolk Eye Centre will improve care for patients in the local community but also saw how a new hospital for West Norfolk is vital if we are to continue providing the very best care to our patients.”
Caroline Shaw CBE, Chief Executive at QEH, said:
“My team and I are really pleased that we were able to welcome Minister Argar for a visit to QEH, to showcase the new West Norfolk Eye Centre.
“This was a great opportunity for us to discuss with him our recent improvement journey and to share detail of the investment in our estate we have received to date.
“This much-needed capital injection has enabled development of the West Nofolk Eye Centre and the Endoscopy Unit, which will open to patients later this year.
“These significant developments will improve the experience of our staff and patients, but ultimately a new hospital is key providing healthcare to King’s Lynn and West Norfolk which is truly fit for purpose and best serves our patients, our community and our staff.”
