BASINGSTOKE MP Maria Miller has questioned the health secretary over plans to build a new hospital and cancer centre in Basingstoke.

Plans to build the new Critical Treatment Hospital (CTH) were given the green light by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in October last year, which would involve building the £150million hospital on a 22-hectare greenfield site on the north side of the A30 near Junction 7 of the M3, alongside an £18.5m cancer treatment centre.

Speaking at a session of parliamentary questions on health, Mrs Miller asked Jeremy Hunt: “To cope with rapid population increases in my constituency, Basingstoke has advanced plans to build a Critical Treatment Hospital and cancer centre, with the support of more than three quarters of the population.

"Does my right honourable friend expect Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) to provide clear, timely direction on plans for this new model of care in the community?”

Mr Hunt responded: “I can absolutely reassure my right honourable friend on that.”

NHS England is currently finalising STPs across all regions, designed to address local health and care issues.

Mr Hunt added: “One of the main purposes of STPs is to make sure that we deliver our cancer plan, which will introduce a maximum four-week wait between GP referral and ultimate diagnosis. If we get it right, that might result in around 30,000 lives a year being saved, so this is a big priority for every STP.”

Mary Edwards, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Basingstoke hospital, said: “Health organisations in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are developing a STP and recognise the need for services to be as local as possible and central where necessary for patient safety.

"The development of a CTH, as well as a cancer treatment centre, are part of those discussions.

“The agreed goal for commissioners and healthcare providers is to reach a final decision by the end of January 2017. We hope that means we can implement our long-held strategy for a cancer treatment centre and critical treatment hospital. The benefits are more care locally for cancer patients and better care for the sickest patients.”