Frimley Park Hospital rebuild site to be confirmed in May
A preferred site for the new Frimley Park Hospital is set to be announced in May, councillors have been told.The existing site has been found to be made of two thirds crumbling concrete, known as Raac.The government confirmed its rebuild would go ahead following a review of the previous government's new hospitals programme in January, which promised 40 new hospitals by 2030.Frimley Park in Surrey Heath was one of six that Health Secretary Wes Streeting said would "need to proceed at pace" and placed in wave one of the government rollout.
The new hospital has been given £2bn, with work scheduled to begin between 2028 and 2029.Bracknell Forest councillors were told on Wednesday the preferred site for the new hospital was expected to be announced in May, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.Councillor Caroline Egglestone, who sits on the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny commission for the project, told full council that construction could begin as soon as the trust was ready.
NHS Frimley has been working with architects and health planners, construction consultants, energy specialists, transport planners and environmental advisors to select a preferred site.While this work continues the trust is carrying out a "robust programme of remedial works" to the existing building.The Trust says this work "will remain a priority" until the new hospital opens.Egglestone also updated colleagues on a new extension to the hospital, set to have a phased opening from April.The 76-inpatient beds will provide "much needed additional capacity" and will help the trust managed the increased demand experienced in recent years, she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
5 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
NHS app to become default source for appointments, screenings and test results
Millions more people will receive personal health information directly to their smartphones within the next three years in a move that is expected to save the health service £200 million, the Department of Health and Social Care said. It will also avoid the need for at least 50 million NHS letters being sent by post each year, with the Health Secretary likening the shift from analogue to digital to 'online banking or ordering a takeaway'. The £50 million investment will see 270 million messages sent through the NHS app this year, an increase of 70 million on the previous financial year. Push notifications will provide appointment reminders to patients to try to reduce the risk of no attendance, with around eight million missed appointments in elective care missed in 2023/24. 📱 Do you have your NHS App notifications on? 📩 To help patients, over 160 million messages were sent via the NHS App in the last year. ✅ Turn notifications on to get the most out of your NHS App. Learn more: — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 7, 2025 More than 11 million people in the UK currently log into the NHS app every month, while almost 20 million are opted in to receive healthcare messages from the app. Where app messaging is not available, particularly for elderly patients without smartphones, communications will be sent via text message and then by letter as a last resort and phone lines will be freed up. It is hoped the changes will give patients better access to manage their healthcare journey and make informed decisions about their care. NHS app services, which were launched in December 2018, are now used in 87% of hospitals across England. Last month, NHS England announced millions of patients would be able to get 'Amazon-style' tracking updates on their prescriptions through the app, to check if their medicines are ready to collect or have been despatched for delivery. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'People are living increasingly busy lives and want to access information about their health at the touch of a button, rather than having to wait weeks for letters that often arrive too late. 'This Government is bringing our analogue health service into the digital age, so that being a patient in the NHS is as convenient as online banking or ordering a takeaway. 'The NHS still spends hundreds of millions of pounds on stamps, printing, and envelopes. By modernising the health service, we can free up huge amounts of funding to reinvest in the front line. 'Through the investment and reform in our Plan for Change, we will make the NHS App the front door to the health service and put power in the hands of patients.' Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patient's Association, said: 'This major upgrade to the NHS App marks a significant step in modernising how patients receive information, from test results to screening invitations. 'This was a recommendation from our Digital Coalition and realises changes that patients have asked for. 'We welcome this investment and the ambition behind it. Success for any digital innovation will be the implementation of the Digital Inclusion Plan and working directly with patients and communities.'
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
New EMAS ambulances to replace 30 older vehicles
East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is to replace 30 of its older ambulances across the move is part of a £4.7m government investment in new ambulances in the East Midlands, with the vehicles expected to arrive by next government says it aims to replace almost 500 ageing ambulances across England as part of a £450m plan to reform the NHS and improve emergency Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26 seeks to reduce pressure on emergency departments as demand for ambulance services nationally has increased. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "These 30 new ambulances will make a real difference to patients in the East Midlands, replacing old and tired vehicles and getting to patients in minutes, rather than hours."We can't fix more than a decade of underinvestment and neglect overnight. But through the measures, we will deliver faster and more convenient care for patients in emergencies."EMAS currently has a fleet of 827 operational vehicles, including emergency ambulances, fast response cars, specialised and driver training vehicles, community first responder vehicles and urgent care and patient transport vehicles, according to its annual report.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
NHS app: Plans for more patients in England to get results on phones
The NHS app will become the default method of communication for millions more patients in England and save the health service £200m over the next three years, the government has test results, screening invitations and appointment reminders will be sent directly to smartphones as part of a £50m investment in the app, in a move away from traditional communication methods such as is estimated that at least 50 million letters are sent to patients each Department of Health and Social Care said that people who cannot access app messaging - including elderly patients - will receive text messages and then a letter as a last resort, and NHS phone lines would be freed up. The department says 270 million messages will be sent through the NHS app this financial year - an increase of 70 million on the previous notifications will provide appointment reminders to patients to try to reduce the risk of no attendance - with around eight million missed appointments in elective care missed in 2023/ show that more than 11 million people in the UK log into the NHS app every month, while almost 20 million are opted in to receive healthcare messages from the is hoped the changes will give patients better access to manage their healthcare journey and make informed decisions about their app services, which were launched in December 2018, are now used in 87% of hospitals across Secretary Wes Streeting said further investment in the app would bring the NHS into the digital age so that being a patient was as "convenient as online banking or ordering a takeaway". He added that moving away from paper communication could free up funding for front line Power, chief executive of the Patient's Association, said the upgrade was a "significant step in modernising how patients receive information". The British Medical Association (BMA) has previously warned that a reliance on apps to the NHS to communicate with patients risked alienating patients who don't have access to digital followed the government's announcement in January that it planned to allow more patients in England to book treatments and appointments through the month, NHS England announced millions of patients would be able to get "Amazon-style" tracking updates on their prescriptions through the app, to check if their medicines are ready to collect or have been despatched for delivery.
