LAST year, the town received good news when it was announced that Basingstoke is set to get a new hospital as part of a £3.7 billion government funding package.

Prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed the news in October during the Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.

The funding will also be used to carry out a major refurbishment at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

However, there could be a long wait for the new Basingstoke hospital to actually be built, with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) first having to carry out a consultation and preparation work.

In fact, a timeline published by HHFT shows that the hospital may not open for another 10 years, in 2030.

Here’s what we know so far.

When will it be built?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed funding for 40 hospitals across England, to be built by 2030.

However, no further details were given in terms of timeframe for this work to be carried out.

HHFT indicated it hopes work will begin on the new hospital in 2024/2025, with a view to it opening between 2026 and 2030.

Why are they building a new hospital?

The government said the funding package would “ensure the NHS can continue to provide world-class care right across the country in the years to come”.

Boris Johnson added: “The dedication and tireless efforts of our nurses, doctors and all healthcare workers have kept the NHS open throughout this pandemic.

“But no matter what this virus throws at us, we are determined to build back better and deliver the biggest hospital building programme in a generation.

“From Morpeth to Milton Keynes, we are building 40 new hospitals across England to level up our NHS, so more people have top-class healthcare services in their local area.”

Where will it be built?

There has been much speculation and secrecy over where the new hospital will be built, with HHFT initially saying the locations it was considering were “commercially sensitive”.

The trust used government funding to carry out a ‘land availability study’ for the whole of north and mid Hampshire, to create a shortlist of potential locations, which it said would be consulted on in 2021.

It revealed a list of six shortlisted options, but meeting papers seen by the Gazette showed the trust had already selected a ‘preferred option’ prior to the public consultation this year.

The trust then revealed two locations which had been shortlisted further – the first between Basingstoke and Winchester, near to junction seven of the M3, and the other based on the current site of Basingstoke hospital, in Aldermaston Road.

However, the trust’s chief medical officer previously hinted that Basingstoke hospital is unlikely to be re-built using the funds, because there is no space for it to expand.

Speaking at the trust’s Annual General Meeting, Dr Lara Alloway said the condition of their buildings, particularly Basingstoke hospital, had become “unfit”, adding: “We don’t have the ability to expand and provide the flexible estate we now need.”

Alex Whitfield, chief executive of the trust, said: “Whilst we have identified two possible sites, no final decisions have been taken and we look forward to talking to our staff and the public about our proposals for the future when we go out to public consultation early next year. We are looking forward to discussing the pros and cons of each of the possible locations as part of the formal consultation process.”

Timeline

Hampshire Together, which is leading the new hospital project, has published a timeline up to the completion of the new hospital.

In June and July 2020, it held a consultation with public, staff, and stakeholders, before publishing its long list of options during August and September.

In October, a pre-consultation business case was published, ahead of another public consultation due to take place from January to March 2021, on several options.

What has been spent so far?

The trust has so far spent around £1million on the project, which has come from the £5m seed funding allocated to the programme from the Department of Health and Social care as part of the Health Infrastructure Plan.

The money has been used to carry out modelling around population growth and future demand for health services; an ‘integrated impact assessment’ to ensure the project addresses equality, health inequality and access issues; and a land availability study covering the whole of north and mid Hampshire to identify and shortlist potential site options and a transport assessment.

The funds have also been used to hold the consultation and engagement events.