Building back better - investing in our local hospitals
I welcome the news that patients and staff at hospitals serving the residents of the Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency are set to benefit from a total investment of more than £15 million in local hospital buildings and facilities. The new funding will be shared between four local NHS trusts covering Sheffield and Barnsley, and will be used to upgrade, refurbish and repair theatres, wards, lifts, electrics, ventilation systems and the exterior fabric of buildings. I am also delighted that across Yorkshire and the North East our NHS Trusts benefit from £85 million in funding overall
Some of the projects that will benefit people in Penistone and Stocksbridge include:
- £2.7 million to refurbish the Firth Theatres at the Northern General Hospital
- £1.7 million to install new lifts at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital
- £820,000 for new fire safety lifts at Barnsley Hospital
- £345,000 for roof and building repairs at Barnsley Hospital
- £300,000 to replace the windows and heating system at Grenoside Grange
- £300,000 for a new ventilation system at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital
- £250,000 to upgrade theatre facilities at Sheffield Children's Hospital
Building an NHS that's fit for the future
These upgrades, costing £600million overall, are part of a £1.5 billion capital fund announced by the Government earlier this year. The fund is designed to be used to build an NHS fit for the future - and sits alongside plans to modernise mental health facilities, expand A&E capacity and improve infection control ahead of winter.
The projects identified have been chosen to have a high impact, and to be deliverable by March 2021. As we recover from the coronavirus pandemic, it's vital that we use this investment in the NHS to build extra capacity and improve facilities.
I'm committed to levelling up our area and ensuring that the people of Penistone and Stocksbridge benefit from investment in local services - so I'm pleased that over half the projects to receive funding are in the Midlands and the North, and that Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust is set to receive the fourth largest investment outside London.
I have long urged my colleagues in Government to invest more in our local hospitals, and so I'm delighted that this new money is additional to the nearly £8 million that was announced in August to upgrade A&E facilities in Barnsley and Sheffield.
As we seek to build back better following the pandemic, I know that the Government is determined to ensure that all areas across the UK benefit from investment to help level up local services. I will continue to make the case for Penistone and Stocksbridge to be at the forefront of this investment and look forward to seeing the transformational impact that this money can have in our communities.
