Victory at Last for the RNOH!

After years of campaigning for a funding injection to help rebuild the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore, Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, has hailed the decision of the NHS Trust Development Authority to agree to a loan of £20million a “great victory for the hospital”. The decision has come after Mr Blackman held a debate in Parliament which led to an announcement that the NHS Trust Development Authority would be meeting this month to discuss the urgent need for redevelopment of the RNOH. The hospital has now finally been given the go-ahead, receiving unconditional approval from the TDA on its business case for redevelopment. Mr Blackman said: “This is a great victory for the hospital and will be a huge relief to all of the hardworking staff who have been providing a world class service in substandard conditions for far too long. This really is tremendous news for everyone locally as it will kick-start a whole new era for this fantastic local facility. I cannot praise the hard work of Chief Executive Rob Hurd, Chair of the Board, Professor Anthony Goldstone, and rest of the team at RNOH enough for all the work they have put into making the case for this vital funding arrangement.” The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, added, “I am very pleased that the NHS Trust Development Authority are backing the development of this excellent hospital, which I have visited several times, and I must commend Bob Blackman MP the impressive amount of work he has put into keeping this redevelopment plan on the agenda. This is an excellent outcome for all concerned.” Rob Hurd, RNOH Chief Executive, said “This is excellent news for our patients. We can now take our plans to a final stage for a hospital in which we continue to deliver high quality clinical care in wards and buildings that are fit for purpose.  I am also very pleased and grateful to our staff who have maintained standards and continued to transform our patients’ lives, despite the condition of our buildings. After many years of uncertainty, we can finally progress to the final stage of building the new hospital at Stanmore.”