The deadline for completing an online survey, launched by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust (WHHT), for the public to share their views about changes to hospital services has been extended until midnight on Sunday March 28.
WHHT has been running a programme of public engagement Your Care, Your Views which has included around 20 meetings where local people have heard and asked questions about new ways of delivering patient care across the trust’s three hospitals.
An online survey is part of this engagement.
WHHT’s plans are to completely redevelop the Watford General Hospital site with up to 90 per cent new buildings on land next to the current hospital.
Significant improvements are also planned for its hospitals in Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, with a completion date of 2025 or soon after.
The trust’s chief medical officer, Dr Mike van der Watt, said: “Despite the pressures of the pandemic, we have had great engagement and it’s clear how committed our staff are to making our services the best they can be.
“We have reviewed the latest best practice from this country and abroad and have used that as well as national policy and our own ideas to create a vastly improved way of delivering patient care from our three hospitals.
“I am excited by our plans which are about so much more than buildings and beds. The quality and safety of our services and the clinical outcomes we want for our patients have been our guiding force.”
On extending the survey deadline, deputy chief executive Helen Brown, said: “Our engagement so far has thrown up lots of questions about how the proposed new buildings can fit on the Watford site.
“People have also asked about disruption whilst building works are ongoing. We have released a short film and we hope that it helps people understand where new buildings could go and that the majority of the construction will take place away from our current patient areas.”
The film is available to view online and detailed information about all the proposals outlined in the engagement is available on the trust’s website.
The Outline Planning Application for Watford General Hospital is scheduled for submission in Spring 2021 and a virtual public exhibition will run from Friday March 26 to Friday April 23.
The public are invited to comment on the draft proposals during this period via an online questionnaire.
Picture credit Peter Fleming/Shutterstock.com
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