Page 6 - Town & Around - November 2022

6 Town & Around November 2022 Tel: 01485 540620 email: editor@townandaround.net
Deja Vous

Jo Rust
Independent Borough Councillor – Springwood Ward
Secretary – King’s Lynn and District Trade Unions Council
ere we go again. Another One of the few benefits to Still in a state of limbo I’m afraid.
month and another health having a new Prime Minister is I know the exec team at the
Hminister promising to that the plight of our hospital is hospital are optimistic, but when
visit the Queen Elizabeth now making national news. I’ve we look at the current economic
Hospital and take a look at the spoken to both Newsnight and crisis, something has to be given
2500 props stopping the roof ITV about the matter and I up to try to balance the books and
from falling in. Do we really sincerely hope they do feature a it could well be our need for a
need Therese Coffey to come and story about it as that adds to the new building.
take a look? Can’t her three pressure to fully fund a new We’ve already heard from Liz There were 200 of these
predecessors tell her how bad it build. Truss saying that she can’t make holding up the QEH in
is? Ah well, it’s a good photo There is a consensus that the any promises about a new November 2021,
opportunity for them I suppose. only way forward is with a new hospital and that’s so 500 by May 2022,
You’ll have seen from my building, but it’s having that disappointing, but not at all 2,500 at the time of going to
figure above, that the number of political will to fund it that we’re unexpected. When she was just a press and 3000 likely by
props needed has grown hugely. waiting for. Worryingly, budget constituency MP Liz Truss was Christmas 2022.
While we know that the situation decisions made in the last few rarely seen in the area. That’s just
isn’t going to improve, it’s still a weeks are likely to have an going to get worse now she’s the must keep the state of our
shock to think there are four adverse impact on the funding for PM. But for her constituents, and hospital in the public eye because
times more props than there are the new hospitals programme. all of us who rely on the NHS, we it’s only by shaming the
hospital beds. And that number It’s been revealed that the original need to know what’s going on government that we can hope to
is set to grow to about 3000 by list of forty new hospitals are way and we must hear soon. The get what we need, a brand new
Christmas. It must be so behind schedule and the reason being is that come 2030, hospital that is fit for our needs
worrying for both patients and additional eight new builds were our hospital will have to close now and the future.

staff. The thought of the cold only ever planned to be small sections of the building and we Please copy or cut out, sign
weather on its way and which can scale units and not full hospitals will have to lose services due to and send the letter below left to
exacerbate the problems just adds in the sense that we think of the RAAC planks and the dire the Secretary of State for
to that worry. them. So where does that leave state of repair they’re in. So, we Health, without delay.
those of us who use the QEH? must keep the pressure up and we

Secretary of State for Health
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

Save the QEH, King’s Lynn

Dear Secretary of State for Health,

I am writing to ask that as a matter of urgency you
include the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, on
the list of hospitals to go forward for full funding for a
new building.

I am urging you to make the announcement
immediately so that our hospital can meet its projected
timescales and not risk closing some services due to
the estate reaching the end of its life.

The current situation is untenable; staff are working in
a challenging environment and the poor physical estate
is having a detrimental impact on the confidence that
patients have in the QEH, as well as impacting on staff
morale and well-being.

No more delays - Fully Fund a New Build NOW.

Regards