THE public will be asked to consult on three different options for new hospital services in Basingstoke and Winchester.

As previously reported, plans to build a new hospital for Basingstoke and North Hampshire moved a step closer after the NHS published details on its proposals to invest between £700m and £900m across the county, including the creation of a new specialist acute hospital.

READ MORE: New £800m specialist acute hospital to be built in Basingstoke 

Hampshire Together – the NHS team behind the project – is expected to launch a 14-week public consultation this month, asking for opinions on the three shortlisted options.

It has revealed its preferred option is Option 2, to build the acute hospital on land at Junction 7 of the M3, which would include the relocation of Basingstoke’s emergency department and maternity services, along with centralising some services across Hampshire.

Here, we look at the three options for the new Basingstoke hospital in detail, including what Hampshire Together says are the main pros and cons, and why it has chosen Option 2 as the preferred choice.

Option 1

New specialist acute hospital on the current Basingstoke hospital site and refurbishment at Winchester hospital.

Capital cost: £948m

Advantages:

-No need to purchase new land

-Has established public transport links

-Less impact on travel times for some deprived populations

Disadvantages:

-Higher likelihood of people going to closer neighbouring hospitals, putting additional pressure on those hospitals

-Greater impact on average travel times than Option 2 and 3

-Complex build would disrupt current services

-Less opportunity for expansion in the future

-Highest capital cost (£948m)

Option 2 (preferred option)

New specialist acute hospital near Junction 7 of the M3 and refurbishment at Winchester hospital

​Capital cost: £807m

Advantages:

-No disruption to current care and services during construction

-Less likely to see patients going to other hospitals

-More opportunities to expand in the future

-Less impact on average travel times by car

Disadvantages:

-Would need to purchase land

-Greater impact on travel times for some deprived populations

-New public transport infrastructure would be needed

Option 3

New specialist acute hospital near Junction 7 of the M3 and refurbishment at Winchester hospital (this is the same as Option 2 but with more services kept at the current Basingstoke hospital site such as nurse-led step-down and rehabilitation beds)

Capital cost: £860m

Advantages:

Same as Option 2

Disadvantages:

Same as Option 2

-Would split nursing workforce across additional site due to beds at current Basingstoke site

-Would need more refurbishment of current Basingstoke site, to deliver step-down beds, which could be more expensive