More than 15,000 sign petition over possible closure of Winchester A&E
A new specialist acute hospital could be built near Basingstoke instead
Last updated 23rd Jan 2024
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition against plans to close the A&E department at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester
Health bosses from NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight are proposing to invest up to £900 million to transform healthcare for people living across the county.
The changes would see a new state-of-the-art specialist acute hospital, housing urgent and emergency care, near Junction 7 of the M3 or on the existing Basingstoke hospital site.
The planned specialist acute hospital would cater to critical cases, including strokes, heart attacks, and life-threatening injuries, while also incorporating a separate children's emergency department.
While the investment promises to enhance healthcare services across the county, Winchester's growing community is voicing strong opposition to the potential relocation of its A&E department.
Local residents objecting to the plans argue that the proposed relocation of the A&E department from Winchester raises concerns about emergency response times, particularly in a region where residents report waits of up to 8 hours for ambulances, and have stressed the need for a 24/7 A&E department in the city.
Hospital bosses, however, remain confident that the changes will improve patient care, reduce cancellations, and enhance overall healthcare efficiency.
Hampshire Hospitals' Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nick Ward said: “Patients that will need to go to a centralised acute specialist hospital will, on the whole, be brought there by ambulance.
“That allows us to provide the specialist care for really acutely unwell patients such as those who have heart attacks, strokes and those who require emergency surgery.”
In addition, the Winchester hospital would also receive a significant investment ranging from £89 million to £141 million.
This allocation aims to create a dedicated planned surgery centre, a doctor-led 24/7 urgent treatment centre, same-day emergency care services, inpatient beds, and a midwife-led birthing unit.
Dr Nick Ward added: “When patients arrive in a new hospital with an emergency department that has all the right specialist care to look after them; What is important is not so much about how long it takes you to get to hospital, but who can provide you the specialist care you need.
“If you have a heart attack, no matter where you are in Hampshire, you get taken to Basingstoke because that is where our central cardiac centre is; If you have a stroke then you get taken to Winchester.
“Both of those services will be centralised and that allows us to really improve the staffing management of hyper-acute specialist services.”
A public consultation into the changes is ongoing. This will close at midnight on 17th March.