Cash bid for more beds at the Royal Hospital is welcomed by MP - The Redditch Standard

Cash bid for more beds at the Royal Hospital is welcomed by MP

Redditch Editorial 21st May, 2018   0

A BID for £8million to provide more beds at Worcestershire Royal Hospital has been submitted to the Department for Health & Social Care.

The money would be a further advance from their £29million capital funding pot, would enable Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to accelerate refurbishment of the Aconbury East Building at the Royal and an extra 40 acute beds before winter.

So far the Government has released £3million to build a link bridge between the Royal and its Aconbury East building.

Initially branded a ‘bridge to nowhere’, the £8million will be used to refurbish Aconbury to provide the additional beds.




The Government has also approved the Trust’s other application to draw down £5million from the capital funding pot.

This will be spent on a number of emergency projects, including improving the safety of the Trust’s estate to enhance the quality of patient services.


The news of this latest bid has been welcomed by Redditch MP Rachel Maclean who had the news confirmed by the newly appointed Interim Chair of the Trust’s Board, David Nicholson.

The rest of the promised £29million is expected to be spent on upgrading maternity wards, theatres and children’s services at the Worcestershire Royal, while the Alex will get millions of pounds to pay for improvements to the elective care centre, endoscopy, children’s outpatients and an upgrade in theatres.

“The Alex and the Trust continues to be my number one priority and that’s why I made sure to speak with David Nicholson just days after his appointment,” said Mrs Maclean.

“I made it very clear to Mr Nicholson that he has a big job in front of him and he needs to crack on with improving the Trust.

“The Trust is currently letting patients down and it is his job to put that right.

“I very much welcome news the Trust has submitted a further bid for £8million. This will enable the Trust to increase acute bed capacity and I believe this will help to reduce the pressures the hospital will face next winter.

“Of course, this is not a silver bullet, but this funding will go a long way in supporting our county’s hospital.

“I have already written to the Health Minister, Stephen Barclay, to urge him to approve the Trust’s £8million bid as soon as possible.”

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