It was a case of just what the doctor ordered on Wednesday; as the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch received an extra £2.3m in funding to help carry out an ambitious, multi-million-pound, business plan to improve patient care.
In 2017, local MP Sajid Javid, helped secure an additional £29.7m of funding for local Worcestershire hospitals, alongside fellow Worcestershire MP’s and the Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust (WAHT).
This money funded the building of a new link bridge at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, which was opened in January this year (WRH). The bridge now provides a vital connection between the main hospital and the newly refurbished 28-bed Aconbury Ward.
However, because the production of the full-business plan drawn up by the Trust was delayed, the costs of enforcing the Hospital’s plan increased– resulting in the initial £29.7m fund no longer being enough.
After lobbying the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, Redditch MP Rachel Maclean has led the effort to bridge that gap, ensuring an additional £2.3m is made available to the Alexandra so that its business plan can go ahead.
The capital funding provided to the Trust now totals £31.9 million.
This boost will ensure less delay and more action, as the Alex can now put forward its business plan which focuses on improving children’s outpatient services, upgrading theatres and supporting endoscopy services.
Sajid Javid MP welcomed the funding increase, saying:
“As your local MP, ensuring that our local community has access to the best possible care has always been my top priority.”
“This funding announcement will ensure that the Alexandra hospital now has the resources it needs to put its business plan into action”
“Alongside my local colleagues, I have campaigned hard to ensure the Trust recieves the funding it needs. We worked hard to get the £29.6 million in 2017 and with the additional £2.3 million announced on Wednesday, our local hospitals are in a strong position to improve their services.”
“Important work has been done, but there is still more to do, and I will continue to support the hardworking staff at WAHT”.
