PLANS to build a new critical treatment hospital in Basingstoke have moved a step forward after being approved by the borough council.

There has been much criticism over Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's proposals, and its plans were delivered a blow when North and West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, which pay trusts to provide health services, refused to back the trust saying it plans are too costly.

Mary Edwards, chief executive of the trust, has said that the £150million new hospital plans, which will include an £18.5million cancer treatment unit, are being led by clinicians.

She told the borough council at the meeting last Wednesday that the new-build will be self-funded by the trust and that centralising services for Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover, will in fact save £16million each year.

Why then, are the CCG groups maintaining that providing services in this way will exceed the funds available?

The Gazette has asked the CCGs to explain their reasoning in more detail so our readers can understand both sides of the debate.

But this has unfortunately been declined.

We therefore remain somewhat in the dark as to why the CCGs are instead pressing ahead with their own agenda - to launch a 'whole system' programme to re-design health and social care across north and mid Hampshire, which includes other potential options.

However, they have said that a new critical treatment hospital might emerge as part of the preferred option.

It seems that the trust and CCGs are pulling in the opposite direction, rather than working together for the people of Basingstoke.

This has caused some confusion.

Basingstoke is growing, and this cannot be ignored.

Many of our readers have expressed views on our letters page that a new hospital is needed to cope with this increase in population.

But residents understandably want to know that the plan going forward is the right one.

-Emily Roberts