PROGRESSING: Musgrove Park Hospital Upgrade

Work continues at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton on an ambitious programme to transform the hospital’s facilities.

10 January 2023 - Healthcare update in Taunton Deane

Since being elected the MP for Taunton Deane back in 2015, I have been working hard on a wide range of projects to help ensure that local people get the high-quality healthcare they deserve. As usual, my local political opponents are only interested in talking, in some instances calling for things that are already in progress, whilst what I’m entirely focused on is actually delivering for my constituents.

The reality is that the Government has committed to delivering an extra £45.6 billion in funding for health and social care over the next 3 years, investing more in facilities and resources to help cut waiting lists. In practice, this means more money for upgrades to Musgrove Park Hospital and I’m delighted to say that over recent years we have seen real progress in this respect. This includes the new £4.4 million eye care unit (completed in December 2021) & the £11.5 million surgical decision unit (completed in November 2022). The latter is already saving bed space within the hospital every week thanks to targeted decision making with follow up actions. And in an even bigger step - last summer, work began on the new £87 million surgical centre at the hospital, which will include new endoscopy rooms, more critical care beds and new operating theatres. To be there to officially cut the turf was a very exciting moment and this new state of the art centre will be of enormous benefit for the people not just of Taunton Deane but also the whole of Somerset. Importantly too, it will provide a fitting workplace for the hard working, dedicated and professional NHS staff.

I’ve been delighted to work closely with the Musgrove team on this range of projects over many years whilst playing my role furthering these schemes in Westminster too. In 2018, I secured a debate in Parliament calling for new hospital theatres to replace the outdated surgery facilities; I followed this with a petition which attracted a phenomenal 6,000 signatures which I duly presented in Parliament. Further work with the NHS Foundation Trust and close engagement with the Department of Health and Social Care secured the funding needed to get these new projects built with more underway. I am now continuing to work with the Musgrove team on the upgrade of the whole site which, I'm really pleased to say has been secured in the Government’s hospitals programme and remains on track for completion by 2030. First off in the complete upgrade will be a much-needed new maternity and paediatric centre that are confirmed as part of the government’s new hospital programme. I had all three of my children in the maternity unit, and whilst the care is superb the buildings are sadly outdated and in dire need of replacement.

On top of this, the Government have committed an additional £7.5 billion nationally to adult social care over three years. Here in Somerset, the Adult Social Care Discharge Fund gives the Council an additional £2 million to help discharge patients from hospitals into an appropriate social care setting. Nationally, the government has also committed to delivering 9 million additional medical tests by 2025 and has increased support for Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) like the Somerset Community CDC, which has already delivered over 86,000 more tests since going live in 2021. Importantly too, by the end of this parliament we will have delivered on our manifesto promise to end unpredictable social care costs faced by thousands of people including many here in Somerset. Proposals cover all care costs under the value of £20,000, quadrupling the means-tested support limit and ending uncertainty by introducing a lifetime care costs cap of £86,000.

In less positive news, I know that the lack of access to NHS dentistry remains a significant problem for many of my constituents. I continue to highlight this in no uncertain to Health Ministers and also brought the situation to the attention of the Chancellor in advance of the Autumn Budget last year. Health Ministers have assured me that the Government will be publishing a plan which will aim to increase access to NHS dentistry in the near future. I know that discussions continue to take place between NHS England, the British Dental Association and other stakeholders with a view to reforming the NHS dental contract so that dentists are better incentivised to take on more NHS work. I’m told that these reforms will allow the best-performing dental practices to see more patients and ensure better use of other dental professionals such as therapists, hygienists and nurses. Be assured, I will keep up the pressure and will be meeting the Dental Minister again shortly.

Another issue I know is of concern to people locally is getting access to see their GP in a timely manner. While substantial progress has been made in restoring access to GP appointments over the past few years, I fully recognise that many patients here continue to have trouble in accessing an appointment. I’ve been assured that it remains a government priority that every patient should be able to see their GP within two weeks and those who have urgent needs should be able to see their GP on the same day. To help deliver this, the Government has committed £1.5 billion to create an additional 50 million GP appointments by 2024 and patients across England will soon benefit from new digital phonelines designed to make booking much easier and put an end to the 8am rush.

In summary, while there of course remains much more work to do relating to healthcare for my constituents, there can be no doubt that in partnership with local stakeholders we have achieved a number of significant steps forward in recent years, particularly relating to the range of upgrades and new units now open at Musgrove Park Hospital. Excitingly too, plans are already underway to upgrade the rest of the hospital site and I will continue to be the strong link between stakeholders here and Ministers in Westminster to ensure my constituents benefit from better facilities into the future.

July 2023 - Work begins on £87m surgical centre at Musgrove Park Hospital

Construction work has begun on the main build of the new £87 million surgical centre at Musgrove Park Hospital.

The new surgical centre will include:

Six endoscopy rooms, patient recovery and clinical support areas
Eight operating theatres (including two state-of-the-art hybrid operating theatres that can be used for both surgery and interventional radiology), recovery areas and clinical support.
22 critical care beds, all specified for level 2 and 3 critical care patients

Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, said: "To officially cut the turf marking this significant step in the history of our hospital is a very exciting moment. It signals the way for the state of the art surgical centre that will be of enormous benefit for the people not just of Taunton Deane but also the whole of Somerset and it will provide a fitting work place for the hard working, dedicated and professional NHS staff.

“I’ve been delighted to work closely locally with the Musgrove team on this project over many years whilst playing my role too in Westminster. In 2018, I secured a debate in Parliament calling for new hospital theatres to replace the outdated surgery facilities; I followed this with a petition which attracted a phenomenal 6,000 signatures which I duly presented in Parliament.

“Further work with the NHS Foundation Trust and close engagement with the Department of Health saw the funding secured and has brought us to this momentous day. I am now continuing to work with the Musgrove team on the upgrade of the whole site which, I'm delighted to say has been secured in the Government hospitals programme for completion by 2030.”

May 2023 - Rebecca welcomes Government commitment for Musgrove Park Hospital Upgrade

Rebecca Pow MP welcomes news that the Government remain committed to the delivery of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s scheme for Musgrove Park Hospital.

The announcement was made by the Secretary of State for Health yesterday in a statement to the House of Commons who confirmed that Musgrove Park Hospital is part of ‘Cohort 4’ and it remains on track for completion by 2030.

Working with the leadership team at Musgrove Park Hospital, Rebecca started to make the case to Ministers in Westminster for the upgrade after she was first elected in 2015.

It began with a focus on upgrading the outdated and dilapidated surgical unit. Back in January 2018, Rebecca secured a debate in Parliament calling on the Government to back a bid from Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH) to upgrade their outdated surgery facilities before launching a petition to help demonstrate public support for the plans. The petition gathered over 6,000 signatures and was presented to Government.

In March 2018, the then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP announced that Musgrove Park Hospital’s £79m funding bid for a new surgical centre was successful which enabled the Trust to replace the outdated theatres, endoscopy and critical care facilities.

In December 2019, in the next important milestone, Rebecca and the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust team secured government seed funding for the Trust to develop their business case for an upgrade of the entire site.

The Trust’s ambitious plan – called Musgrove 2030 –included a new maternity and children’s building and further development of its cancer and emergency services.

Next, in October 2021, work began on the multi-million-pound multi-specialty acute assessment hub which opened in November 2022. The unit is purpose-built and brings surgeons, emergency doctors and other healthcare professionals closer together, with a much better environment for patients and staff too.

At the beginning of 2023, Rebecca met with the Health Secretary Steve Barclay MP to further press the case for the upgrade. In recent months Rebecca has brought representatives from the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust leadership team to meet both the Social Care Minister and the Secondary Care Minister to keep up the pressure.

Local MP Rebecca Pow MP said:

“I am delighted that the Government have confirmed that they remain committed to the delivery of the scheme for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for Musgrove Park Hospital. I would like pay tribute to everyone who has made this possible and for their tireless work in helping to bring about this outcome.

Importantly, the announcement will allow this scheme to continue to progress, and the Government will be supporting the Trust to carry out early works in advance of main construction and it remains on track for completion by 2030.

We have all been working towards this for many years now starting with the development of the new theatre complex for which I was proud to play my part in securing £79 million and subsequently £11 million to build the surgical decision unit.

Obviously, the ultimate goal was to make the case for the entire upgrade of the site, and I am pleased that this has been recognised; there are many antiquated buildings on the site including the WW2 maternity unit where I had my three children, and their transformation will all be a key part of the upgrade plans. There is still a long way to go but this announcement confirms that progress is underway.

Musgrove Park Hospital has always offered excellent care but now we can look forward to it being delivered in world-class facilities in the years ahead. This is wonderful news for patients and people right across Taunton Deane and Somerset more widely.”

Commenting, Chair of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Colin Drummond said:

“This is wonderful news for the people of Somerset and a great boost for our colleagues throughout the Trust. It was the result of excellent work by the team in SFT and unremitting efforts at a high level in government over a period of years. I would like to thank Rebecca for all her stalwart support and partnership in an outstanding team effort.”

Commenting, Secretary of State or Health, Steve Barclay MP said:

“It’s a real tribute to Rebecca, she has lobbied me and has lobbied extremely hard on behalf of her constituents. She made the case effectively to Government, officials have looked at the detail of the scheme and that’s why it’s fully funded.”

November 2022 - New Surgical Decision Unit opens to patients at Musgrove Park Hospital

A new £11.5 million surgical decision unit opens to patients at Musgrove Park Hospital today.

The new multi-specialty unit means patients can be assessed more rapidly by our surgical teams to determine whether they need emergency surgery or can be safely discharged home.

The unit is purpose-built and brings surgeons, emergency doctors and other healthcare professionals closer together, with a much better environment for patients and staff too.

It’s a major part of the Musgrove 2030 programme – creating state-of-the-art buildings that offer patients safe, effective, and personalised care, based on the most advanced treatments, technology, and innovations in healthcare.

Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, said: “This unit will be a welcome asset for patients and will make a real difference to improving their experience in hospital. I have worked closely with the team at Musgrove Park Hospital to secure funding for a range of key projects and many improvements have already been seen. I will continue to press the case In Parliament to ensure we deliver first class services for the people of Taunton Deane.”

Miss Marianne Hollyman, one of our Upper GI consultant surgeons and clinical lead for the surgical decision unit development, said the new unit is designed to be a ‘one-stop’ shop for patients.

“Patients will initially be seen by their GP or an emergency department clinician, who will identify whether they are suitable to be seen by our specialist surgical team. We’re aiming to triage patients to bring them in at the right time, such as earlier in the morning, so they can have all their tests in a single day rather than needing to be admitted to hospital for investigations and decisions to be made. It will also reduce the need for them to keep coming back to hospital for investigations. We have dedicated day-case emergency surgery lists too, which means patients won’t necessarily need to be admitted to hospital even when they need an operation. All these factors will increase the chance of a patient who has come in for assessment, being able to leave hospital on the same day.”

A key part of the development is a move for the former surgical assessment unit from a remote part of the hospital into the new area, which is closer to the emergency and x-ray departments.

The new surgical decision unit is a combination of our surgical assessment unit and our emergency surgical ambulatory care clinic. Both these departments cease to exist now the surgical decision unit has opened.

Mr Alan Dunkley, one of our orthopaedic consultants, said the surgical decision unit development is great news for people who need an urgent surgical assessment at Musgrove Park Hospital.

He said: “Opening this new unit means that for the first time ever at Musgrove Park Hospital, patients who are referred by their GP for a review of an urgent orthopaedic problem, such as a joint infection or severe spinal problems, can be seen in a specific assessment area rather than at the busy emergency department. This new unit will provide a more suitable environment to allow us to assess whether patients require emergency surgery, or even if we can avoid them needing a stay in hospital. Being closer together will also improve working relationships between our hospital medics, surgeons and emergency department clinicians, as they’ll be able to ask for an expert opinion without needing to walk across the whole hospital or make a telephone call – this can only be a good thing for our patients. The new unit is much closer to our imaging department too, so our patients are likely to get a diagnosis more quickly to help clinicians put a comprehensive plan in place for their care – whether that be surgery or other treatment. It’ll also improve the general experience of patients in so many ways. For example, it will significantly reduce the distance that patients need to be wheeled down public corridors, which isn’t a pleasant experience. Another huge benefit of the new hub is the greater space available, which will create additional areas for clinicians and patients to have important confidential conversations.”

The surgical decisions unit is located in the former therapies area of the hospital’s Queen’s Building next to our emergency department.

David Snell, strategic healthcare director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, said: “We are thrilled to be opening up this new £11.5m surgical decision unit to patients today. Kier have been working collaboratively with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for a number of years now, and we’re proud to bring this project to life, providing first-class facilities for local people. We look forward to continuing our work at Musgrove Park Hospital as we deliver further phases of the Musgrove 2030 regeneration plan.”

October 2021 - Work begins on new acute assessment hub at Musgrove Park Hospital

Work has begun to develop a new £12.5 million multi-specialty acute assessment hub at Musgrove Park Hospital.

Patients who may need urgent surgery at the hospital will benefit from the new purpose-built hub as it will bring surgeons, emergency doctors and other healthcare professionals closer together, and provide a much better environment for patients and staff.

The development involves moving the hospital’s current surgical assessment unit closer to the emergency and X-Ray departments, which will enable patients to be assessed by surgical teams more rapidly to determine whether they require emergency surgery or can be discharged home.

The new hub, which is due to open to patients in early 2022, is a major part of the Musgrove 2030 programme – creating state-of-the-art buildings that offer patients safe, effective, and personalised care, based on the most advanced treatments, technology, and innovations in healthcare.

Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow said: “Since becoming the local MP I have worked hard to achieve more investment to help improve local health services and I am delighted that work is underway on the new acute assessment hub at Musgrove Park. This project is part of the Musgrove 2030 programme, which involves upgrading many buildings across the entire hospital site and I was pleased to work with stakeholders to help secure the necessary funding commitments from Government. The hub will further enhance the already outstanding care given to the people of Somerset by the hospital staff and particularly improve the outcomes and experiences for those who need surgery.”

Mr Alan Dunkley, an orthopaedic consultant at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said he was pleased that work had started on the new acute assessment hub.

“The development of an acute assessment hub next to our emergency department is great news for people who need an urgent surgical assessment at our hospital. It means for the first time ever at Musgrove Park Hospital, patients referred by their GP for a review of an urgent orthopaedic problem, such as a joint infection or severe spinal problems, will be seen in a specific assessment area rather than at the busy emergency department as at present. While many planned operations are carried out in our day surgery centre, this new hub will provide a more suitable environment to allow us to assess whether patients require emergency surgery, or even if we can avoid them needing a stay in hospital. Being closer together will also improve working relationships between our hospital medics, surgeons and emergency department clinicians, as they’ll be able to ask for an expert opinion without needing to walk across the whole hospital or make a telephone call – this can only be a good thing for our patients. The new hub is much closer to our imaging department, so our patients are likely to get a diagnosis more quickly to help clinicians put a comprehensive plan in place for their care – whether that be surgery or other treatment. It’ll also improve the general experience of patients in so many ways. For example, it will significantly reduce the distance that patients need to be wheeled down public corridors, which isn’t a pleasant experience. Another huge benefit of the new hub is the greater space available, which will create additional areas for clinicians and patients to have important confidential conversations.

Our current surgical assessment unit is located in the hospital’s old building, which dates back to the Second World War and is sadly no longer fit for purpose for modern healthcare. We know that while our colleagues provide outstanding care, the environment in this area is less good and the general maintenance on such an old building is naturally very expensive – money that could be better spent on patient care. It also makes it challenging for us to offer same sex accommodation for patients – this won’t be a problem in the new area so we’re confident that patients will get a better all-round experience. The acute assessment hub will be located in the former therapies area of the hospital’s Queen’s Building next to the brand new state-of-the-art therapies building that opened earlier this year."

The Musgrove 2030 programme involves phasing out many of the older hospital buildings over the next decade.

Julie Smith, sister on the existing surgical assessment unit, said:

“This is a very exciting time for our team, and we are really looking forward to working in a new clinical environment that’s appropriate for our patients, colleagues and the service that we deliver. The move will allow us to facilitate and enhance the outstanding care we give to the people of Somerset. We believe that with effective collaboration between our team and colleagues in our same day emergency care and emergency department, we will improve the outcomes and experiences for our patients who need surgery.”

David Snell, Director – Kier Strategic Health, said:

“Starting work on the new acute assessment hub is an important milestone as it means we are one step closer to bringing new facilities to Musgrove Park Hospital. We understand the ambitions Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has, as part of its Musgrove 2030 plan and we are proud to be working collaboratively with staff, consultants and the estates team to deliver vital new health care infrastructure. We have extensive experience in delivering healthcare projects and we’ll utilise innovative building methods and work with local supply chain partners to build this new hub for the local community.”

September 2020 - Ambitious programme to transform facilities and services at Musgrove Park

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, along with community and mental health services in Somerset, is one of 21 organisations expected to benefit from the Department of Health and Social Care’s hospital building programme, with potential funding of £450m.

The next steps of the Trust’s ambitious plan – called Musgrove 2030 – will include a new maternity and children’s building and further development of its cancer and emergency services.

And this is in addition to a new surgical centre, acute assessment hub, therapies department and maternity refurbishments at the hospital, which are already underway.

Peter Lewis, chief executive of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“Our focus is to provide the very best care that we can to the people of Somerset. For many people that means ensuring that we support people to stay as well as possible and have the right services in place to support them in the community. We have an exciting vision to transform healthcare for patients in the county and we want to develop state-of-the-art facilities that support our excellent clinical and non-clinical teams to further improve the outstanding care they provide to our patients. I’d like to thank our MP Rebecca Pow for all the support she has given to our Trust, in helping us to be in a position to develop these plans.”

Musgrove Park Hospital was originally built during the Second World War as a temporary casualty evacuation hospital for the D-Day landings and other buildings were added later in the 1940s.

These oldest parts of the hospital still house services such as the critical care unit, caring for the county’s sickest patients, as well as maternity and children’s services.

The Trust aims to phase out these old parts of the hospital and instead develop state-of-the-art buildings that can offer patients modern, individual healthcare based on the most advanced treatments, technology, innovation and research.

Dr Matthew Hayman, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s deputy chief medical officer, said:

“I am very proud of the quality of care that my colleagues provide to our patients at Musgrove Park Hospital but some of these hospital services are housed in facilities that were built in the 1940s and are simply not good enough. We are very excited by the improvements we can make to the care we provide and to our patients’ experience by planning and building modern state-of-the-art facilities that are optimally configured and placed alongside one another, which will enable us to improve how we deliver care to our patients.”

David Shannon, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s director of strategic development, said: “We already have plans in place to replace parts of the 1940s buildings at Musgrove Park Hospital with modern facilities. This additional funding will give us the opportunity to look at our remaining outdated estate and create a state-of-the-art hospital in Taunton. We are talking to our clinicians to develop plans that will enable us to create further facilities that match the care that we provide and give us an opportunity to improve care further.”

Local MP Rebecca Pow said: “I am delighted that work is underway at Musgrove Park Hospital to upgrade the hospital’s facilities. I was pleased to have worked with stakeholders to secure the initial commitment for the upgrade – building on success with the new theatre complex. Those working at the Hospital should be proud of the high quality of care they already provide to patients but some of the hospital services, like the maternity unit (where I had my three children) are in facilities that were built in the 1940s. The improvements which include refurbishments to the maternity unit as well as a new surgical centre and an acute assessment hub will improve the experience and care for patients not just in Taunton Deane, but right across the region.”

Preparations for building work has already started in a number of areas of the hospital, including:

Surgical Centre

Plans are in place and on track to build a £80 million surgical centre at Musgrove Park Hospital that will include state-of-the-art operating theatres, a critical care unit and an endoscopy suite.

Enabling building works have already begun to clear the site so that building work can begin in 18 months’ time.

In total the new surgical centre will provide:

Six endoscopy rooms, patient recovery and clinical support areas
Eight operating theatres (including two interventional radiology theatres), recovery areas and clinical support.
22 critical care beds, all specified for level 2 and 3 critical care patients

Acute Assessment Hub

Plans are also in place to develop a £11.5 million acute assessment hub adjacent to the hospital’s emergency department (A&E) to support care for patients requiring emergency treatment.

It will include an admission hub for those patients who need to be admitted to hospital for additional care and a unit for those patients who require emergency treatment that can be delivered on the same day, without the need to be admitted to hospital overnight.

The current surgical admissions unit is located in World War II ‘Nightingale’ style ward accommodation that is unsuitable for modern standards of care and is some distance from the surgical operating theatres. In the future, it will be included in the acute assessment hub, adjacent to the emergency department.

Therapies Department

A brand new purpose-built therapies department is being developed to house the hospital’s physiotherapy, occupational therapy and orthotics teams, as well as an examination suite, rehabilitation kitchen and gym space.

Updating the maternity unit

While the Trust considers how it may redevelop the maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital for future generations, it is refurbishing the current maternity facilities, which are expected to reopen in autumn this year.

The Bracken Birthing Centre, where women who have a low risk of complications can give birth, has two brand new en-suite rooms, including an additional birthing pool with a modern feel, better lighting and temperature control.

The refurbishment was funded by Musgrove Park’s League of Friends, which ran a successful Toad Trail campaign that caught the imagination of people from Taunton and beyond.

In addition the unit’s labour ward, and the reception and waiting areas are also being refurbished. This has been funded by the hospital’s official charity, Love Musgrove, through its Musgrove Babies appeal.

This includes building and equipping three new recovery bays for women who have given birth but have need high dependency care.

The main reception area, which is the central hub of the maternity unit, is being reconfigured to create a more welcoming and relaxed atmosphere and a single point of access.

Designed by global architecture and engineering practice BDP’s South West team, the acute assessment hub, therapies building and surgical centre are game changers for the hospital.

Adrian Hitchcock, architect director at BDP, said: “We are always looking to raise the bar in terms of devising innovative healthcare design that meets the needs of future generations and this approach is certainly illustrated in the projects we are undertaking at Musgrove Park.”

December 2019

Since being the MP I have been working hard on a wide range of projects to ensure the people of Taunton Deane continue to get the high-quality care they deserve.

Having played my part in attracting £79 million to build the new theatre complex at Musgrove Park Hospital and £11 million towards the health transformation services across the area, I have been supporting the hospital in recent months to make the case to Government of the need to upgrade facilities across the whole site, including the antiquated maternity unit where I had my three children and it was old then.

The excellent care offered at Musgrove Park Hospital should be matched by world class facilities and I am pleased to say that the Health Secretary has recently informed me that the hospital will be awarded a substantial amount of funding to achieve just that. I am delighted to say it has been included in a nationwide £3 billion project to improve 40 hospitals.

Initially, the hospital has been given the go-ahead by Government to develop its plans for a £450 million upgrade of the site and seed funding has been allocated for the Trust to develop its business case for this. This is really welcome news and gives the security needed for planning to begin on this substantial project and I am proud to have played my part.

January 2018

In Westminster, I have called on the Government to back a bid from Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH) to upgrade their outdated surgery facilities. As part of ongoing improvement works across the hospital site, MPH has put in a bid to the Department of Health and NHS Transformation to build a £79.5million Surgical Centre.

I was granted an End of Day Adjournment Debate by the Speaker in January 2018, to make the case to Health Minister, Steve Barclay.

During my speech I highlighted the urgent need to upgrade the existing facilities which are housed in pre-1948 buildings built by American Forces as a temporary hospital for the D-Day landings. The buildings were not designed for the provision of 21st century healthcare, and are struggling to accommodate the escalating demand for the services provided within them. Despite challenging conditions patient care at MPH was recently rated as ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission.

MPH has now submitted an outline business case to NHS Transformation following the Government announcement in the Autumn Budget of a £3.5billion of new capital investment fund for hospital buildings and infrastructure.

During the debate, Minister of State for the Department of Health, Steve Barclay told me:

‘In securing this Adjournment debate, my hon. Friend, as she so often does, has put the case for Taunton Deane. As the Minister responsible, I recognise the importance of the issue both to her and to the community, and I look forward to continued discussions with her as we seek to progress the situation and ensure the best possible care for Taunton Deane and the surrounding area.’

I said:

‘I was delighted to be granted this debate. I wanted to be clear that whilst the dedicated staff at MPH do excellent work and have been rated outstanding for care, they are struggling in antiquated buildings comprise the critical care and endoscopy units. This was a welcome opportunity to bring this starkly to the Minister attention and to make a strong case for funding to develop a state-of-the-art new surgical and endoscopy centre.

I have raised this with the Secretary of State for Health himself on several visits he has made to Taunton. The world class care offered at MPH should be matched by world class facilities. I am hopeful that this will be looked upon favourably and was encouraged by the response from the Minister. Without this new centre the long-term sustainability of emergency care, critical care and diagnostic screening is at critical risk of failure.

I am launching a local campaign to help demonstrate public support for this bid to the Department of Health which includes a petition which I will present to the House of Commons.”

Update: 28th March 2018

Today, the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP announced that Musgrove Park Hospital’s £79m funding bid for a new Surgical Centre has been successful.

I am thrilled at this news, as this has been very much a joint effort between myself and Musgrove and I am delighted that the hard work has paid off. This new facility will serve not just people from Taunton Deane but from the whole Somerset area and indeed the wider SW region. My petition showed huge support from so many across Taunton Deane, demonstrating the strength of feeling locally for this much needed project and I am so proud that this important project has been allocated this welcome Government funding.

In the media:

Government funds Musgrove's £79.5m surgical centre, Somerset County Gazette, Wednesday 28 March

New Surgical Centre For Musgrove Park, Heart FM, Wednesday 28 March

Musgrove hopes for Government cash for £79.5m centre, Somerset County Gazette, Monday 26 March

View from Westminster: Sign up to support new surgical centre, Wellington Weekly News, Tuesday 6 March

Proposals for £79.5 million surgical centre at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital, Somerset County Gazette, Thursday 15 February

Rebecca Pow MP makes case for new surgical unit at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital in House of Commons debate, Somerset County Gazette, Saturday 20 January

Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, prepares bid for £79.5 million Government cash for surgical centre, Somerset County Gazette, Wednesday 17 January

Rebecca Pow