Epsom and St Helier Hospitals' patients invited to give feedback in next stage of Estates Review public consultation

On Saturday March 19, both hospitals will host open days to allow the public to say what they want from their local hospitals as part of the next stage of the trust’s Estates Review.

From January: Record number of patients for Epsom and St Helier hospitals but KOSHH campaigner says NHS trust is not prepared

The feedback will be used to shape the criteria for changes to be made beyond 2020.

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust consulted the public about the hospitals’ long-term strategy between June 2015 and December 2015.

From January: Epsom and St Helier midwives secure maternity funding, but campaigners fear for hospitals' future

The trust held open days to encourage feedback and asked patients and potential hospital visitors to rank a number of criteria in order of their importance.

29 per cent of respondents selected ‘high quality care’ as one of their top three priorities, 24 per cent chose ‘infection-free care’ and 15 per cent ‘a welcoming and pleasant environment’.

Following the review, the trust identified ‘the need to strengthen staffing in key service areas’, ‘variability in the delivery of clinical care’ ‘poor estates’ and the ‘need to create a recurrent surplus each year’ as the main challenges they face before 2020.

From today: Huge jump in alcohol-related admissions prompts Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust to hire addiction specialist

Despite the announcement of further public consultation, health campaigners are worried about a report put before the trust’s board in June 2015.

From April 2014: Secret plans to close Epsom and St Helier and build new "super hospital" overheard on train

In a report entitled ‘Investing in a high quality healthcare environment’, it was asserted that to “facilitate effective control… best practice is now for over 50 per cent and ideally over 75 per cent of rooms in a hospital to be single and en-suite”.

A spokeswoman from health campaigners Keep Our St Helier Hospital (KOSHH) said: “It concerns us that if public money was spent to transform wards into en-suite rooms, that smacks of readying a hospital to be sold off as a private facility.”

Daniel Elkeles (pictured above) and other Executive Directors will be in the Lecture Theatre at St Helier Hospital on Saturday, March 19 between 10am and 12.10pm and in Conference Room One at Epsom Hospital between 2pm and 4.10pm.

Chief executive of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust Mr Elkeles said: “Last year, we set out our plan for the next five years in our strategy, and we are still absolutely committed to that.

“We now need to develop the options for the long term future of our estate and make sure we get what we need from our buildings.

“But before we look at any specific options, we need to agree the criteria that we would use to evaluate them – and that’s where you come in. We need to know what’s important to you.”

Members of Keep Our St Helier Hospital campaign alongside junior doctors at Sutton station

A spokeswoman from KOSHH said: “KOSHH campaigners are not feeling any more relaxed and comfortable in regard to the release of initial report on the estates review.

“At the end of the day, it is the CCGs that will make the decisions. We can listen to endless promises about the future of our hospitals from the trust and from MPs, but we really need to know what all CCGs in South West London Collaborative Commissioning are planning to do.

“We want money invested in upgrading Epsom and St Helier hospital buildings in a fiscally responsible manner, with world class patient care and maintaining all essential services as the main objectives.”

For more information about the estates review, visit: www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/estates-review