Rebecca Smith MP, Member of Parliament for South West Devon, has piled pressure on the Government to fully fund Derriford Hospital’s new A&E. A decision is expected imminently but no detail was provided in the Health Secretary’s statement at the dispatch box on Monday, 6th January 2025. On the first day Parliament sat in the New Year, Rebecca quizzed the Health Secretary on when an update would be provided.
A day after Rebecca’s question a critical incident was declared at Derriford, just seven days into 2025 with more sure to follow, citing “high numbers of older patients with respiratory problems exacerbated by the cold weather”. This follows Treliske Hospital’s critical incident on Friday, 3rd January, bringing the Southwest’s NHS to its knees.
Rebecca Smith MP asked:
“What is missing from today’s announcement is any sort of update on the New Hospitals Programme Review, which is vital in my constituency of South West Devon, because Derriford hospital needs its Urgent and Emergency Care Facility to bring down ambulance waiting times before it can even start to tackle its general waiting list issues.
“When will Derriford hospital hear whether it has been successful in the new hospitals programme review?”
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting responded:
“I was grateful to staff at Derriford Hospital for showing me at first hand the Emergency Department pressures when I visited just before Christmas. I have also visited Derriford at the height of summer, when it experiences high pressures. There are year-round difficulties at Derriford, and I thank the staff and leadership of the hospital for what they are doing in difficult circumstances.
“We will come forward shortly with the timetable for the New Hospitals Programme. I expect that it will be published sooner than the Conservatives apologise for their appalling record.”
Responding to the Health Secretary’s response, Rebecca Smith MP stated:
“I am very disappointed that the Health Secretary chose to skirt around my question and resort to petty jibes. Since being elected in July, I have campaigned relentlessly to protect Derriford’s new A&E from Labour cuts because I understand its importance to slashing ambulance wait times at Derriford.
“Its future matters to my constituents, underlined by the latest critical incident. The Health Secretary should treat their concerns with the seriousness they deserve and provide an update on the New Hospitals Programme.”
This comes after Rebecca’s petition to protect A&E funding at Derriford Hospital, tabled in the House of Commons last October. In a written letter, the Minister of State for Secondary Care Karin Smyth responded that the Government “understands the importance” of the investment and reiterated its commitment to delivering the New Hospital Programme. It states that a final decision will be made “in due course”.Given that Derriford is on the scheme and received £25.2m in 2023/24, committed by the last Conservative Government,Rebecca hopes this will mean that the new Labour Government will honour its pledge to complete the vital new hospital infrastructure.
The Chancellor threw the future of Derriford’s new Urgent and Emergency Care (A&E) Facility into doubt with the announcement of the New Hospital Programme Review lastJuly. Patients across South West Devon and the wider Southwest have been deeply concerned by this move, writing directly to Rebecca.
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