On 9 December at Prime Minister’s Questions, James asked for investment in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as part of the additional 8 hospitals the government is committed to building.
James said that QEH is at the heart of our community but is in need of urgent modernisation due to the structural concrete plank issues. Nearly 80% of QEH’s estate was constructed using RAAC planks. Given the Prime Minister’s enthusiasm for building hospitals he asked him to back the bid for a new hospital for QEH.
He has been campaigning since he was elected to secure increased investment in order to give West Norfolk the hospital that patients and staff deserve.
QEH has developed a strong case for investment to transform the hospital to meet modern healthcare requirements into the future which represents better value for money than living with the risks associated with the existing roof and structural concrete plank issue.
The bid process for the remaining eight hospitals is currently being designed and the Prime Minister confirmed that the Department of Health and Social Care is working with QEH. As these schemes will be delivered in the second half of the decade, the competition process will be announced in due course.
James is continuing to working with the Trust and other MPs to ensure it is a serious contender for one of the eight additional new hospital schemes.
In response to the Spending Review two weeks ago, James called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to James asked the Chancellor to consider carefully QEH's compelling bid to be one of the additional eight hospitals by 2030 that the government has committed to on top of the 40 already announced.
