Working Paper 7- Sites for Critical Care Hospital

 

The NHS proposed to evaluate 3 sites. These were in NHS ownership and consequently could be expected to be easier to develop than any which required time to acquire, and which would not have planning permission on an ‘existing use’ basis as a hospital.

 

These were        Epsom General Hospital Site

                        Sutton Hospital Site

                        St Helier Hospital Site

 

To develop either Epsom or St Helier sites as a Critical Care Hospital would require a developer to work around an existing general hospital, maintaining its full functioning all the while. This is difficult and would extend the timescale and increase the risk of an operational failure at some point.

 

Whilst there might be some cost savings from using existing buildings, there could also be a cost penalty from the extended timescale.

 

The Programme Board have therefore asked that each of these sites have a sub-option examined.

 

In the case of  St Helier, this would be to build on the playing fields opposite (currently Metropolitan Open Land owned by London Borough of Sutton); with a commitment to provide an equivalent area at the end of the build programme by laying out the current site as playing fields.

 

In the case of Epsom, there are adjoining Sports Fields, but not in NHS or local authority ownership. Here the sub-option would be to use the West Park site (to the west of Epsom town centre, formerly mental health and currently the location of the New Epsom and Ewell Cottage Hospital).

 

This site is currently owned by the Secretary of State for Health and is about to be transferred to the office of the Deputy Prime Minister for inclusion in a large scale land sales programme. The Chair of the Programme Board has written requesting that this transfer be deferred until the result of the formal consultation is known.

 

This is one of a series of working papers being released in early June 2004.  The intention is they should form the basis of a formal consultation which will run from 1st September 2004 to 30th November 2004.  The aim of early release is to enable comments to be received before the drafting of a formal consultation document begins in mid July.

 

Any comments on this Working Paper should be sent to :

 

Keith Ford

Programme Director

Room 32, Rowan House

Epsom General Hospital

Dorking Road

Epsom

Surrey KT18 7EG

 

betterhealthcare@epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk

 

before 10th July 2004.

 

Any such response does not prejudice the rights of the individual or organisation to comment during the formal consultation period.