Watford and Milton Keynes set for hospital developments as MPs outline plans
Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced earlier this week a timeline for the building of hospitals up and down the country
The timelines for the rebuilding of Watford General Hospital and the construction of a Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Milton Keynes, set to reshape healthcare in their regions, were revealed earlier this week.
A new timetable was set out, with Mr Streeting confirming construction of the new hospitals would proceed in four "waves", with the final part not beginning until between 2035 and 2039.
The first wave is already under construction, and set to be completed in the next three years.
For Watford it's a blow, with further delays for a hospital where works were ready to go, but over in Milton Keynes it's good news.
Greatest Hits Radio caught up with MPs Matt Turmaine (for Watford) and Emily Darlington (for Milton Keynes Central), who shared their perspectives on the respective projects.
Watford: rebuilding plans
Watford General Hospital, one of the sites earmarked for redevelopment in the previous Conservative government’s "40 new hospitals" pledge, faces further delays under the Labour government’s revised hospital building programme.
The hospital had been promised redevelopment much sooner under the previous timeline, but Streeting revealed that insufficient funding and delays had left the original plan years behind schedule.
Matt Turmaine, MP for Watford, reaffirmed the Labour government’s commitment to rebuilding Watford General Hospital, with pre-construction work scheduled to begin in 2028.
Mr Turmaine stated: "We said that we would rebuild Watford Hospital, and that's precisely what we're doing."
He criticised previous Conservative-led governments, alleging delays caused by the scrapping of Labour’s 2010 hospital redevelopment plans.
"In 2010, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition scrapped Labour's plans to rebuild Watford Hospital as part of the austerity programme. If they hadn't done that, we'd have a new hospital," he argued.
Mr Turmaine also highlighted concerns about former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s promise of 40 new hospitals by 2030, claiming it lacked financial planning.
He said: "The National Audit Office has said that it was completely undeliverable."
He emphasized that rebuilding Watford Hospital reflects a broader Labour vision for reforming the NHS, including reducing waiting times and improving GP access.
Milton Keynes: a regional hub
The new Women's and Children's Hospital in Milton Keynes is among those in the first wave, set to see construction take place between 2025 and 2030.
MKUH provides services for Milton Keynes, as well as areas of Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire.
Local MP Emily Darlington welcomed the inclusion of a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital in the first wave of NHS construction projects, with work expected to commence between 2025 and 2030.
Ms Darlington noted the project’s importance in addressing existing capacity issues and enhancing care.
She said: “We've had a hospital that's too small for our current size, and we continue to grow."
The new facility is expected to significantly reduce wait times for gynaecological procedures and improve maternity and paediatric care.
"It will allow us to attract some of the top talent in the UK to those wards," she said, adding that the project would alleviate pressure on other hospital services by reallocating space.
"For us, this is a really important part of integrated care, allowing more specialist services to be available locally rather than requiring travel to Oxford, Cambridge, or London," she concluded.