Meon Valley MP Flick Drummond is asking her constituents to get in touch and give their views over plans for a new hospital to be built towards Basingstoke.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has now identified two sites for the new facilities – land near junction 7 on the M3 - and at the existing Basingstoke Hospital site.
The move has discounted any new build at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) in Winchester, which means much longer journeys for treatment for many people in the Meon Valley.
The options will now go out to a public consultation next year but Flick wants to know what local people think.
“This new hospital is certainly an opportunity to improve and centralise treatment for mid and north Hampshire with state-of-the-art facilities and expertise but I am concerned that any move to the site of the existing Basingstoke Hospital is simply too far away from my constituents,” said Flick.
“The Junction 7 site has merit because it is a nightmare to park at the RHCH and so even a longer journey might be better and overall quicker for Meon Valley residents if there is ample parking at this site.
“However, the Basingstoke Hospital site is, I believe, a real problem. It even takes quite some time to get to from most of Basingstoke and it’s difficult to find.
“This is my initial view but I want to know what my constituents think so I can feed that back to the trust and in my consultation response. I would also urge local people to get involved in the public consultation when it opens next year.
“This is an important decision that will frame how and where healthcare is delivered for mid Hampshire for many years.”
Meon Valley residents can get in touch with Flick by emailing her at: [email protected] or writing to her at: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
