Health minister Lord Markham has joined Eastbourne and Willingdon MP Caroline Ansell at the DGH to discuss the once-in-a-generation plans to build a new hospital in the town.
The minister, who is in charge of the government’s new hospitals programme, also met with the healthcare trust’s chief executive Joe Chadwick-Bell, board chairman Steve Phoenix and the national new hospital planning team to go through the record-breaking investment coming into DGH.
Caroline and Lord Markham walked the hospital grounds to take in the massive potential for development and toured the current building and met staff.
The pair also saw construction work in full swing at the new £34m surgery hub due to be completed next winter. It will have the capacity to undertake 8,500 operations a year and has been planned to knit in with the new hospital.
Lord Markham spoke about digital upgrades that are coming as part of the new hospital programme. They are expected to deliver 20% improvements in efficiency. He also spoke about how the new build will see 100% single bed ensuite rooms to ensure patients are able to receive the very best standard of care.
“These are exciting and truly inspiring times for the DGH and for healthcare in our town as the plans for the new hospital take shape and it’s important to stress, we already have spades in the ground as the new state-of-the-art surgery hub comes out of the ground,” said Caroline.
“Staff we met at the hospital were hugely positive about the new plans and what the redesigns would mean for the care they could provide and how effective their working practices could be.
“The plan also includes housing for staff too and Lord Markham was clear this is an important part of the new hospital.
“I am absolutely delighted the minister could come and see first-hand what is going to happen and what is already happening to not just to upgrade healthcare in Eastbourne but transform it.
"Many thanks to the trust staff for all they are doing on this exciting vision."
Chairman Steve Phoenix praised Caroline for her support and added the new hospital would be “the single largest investment in East Sussex healthcare ever”.
“Lord Markham said: “It was a pleasure to be in Eastbourne at the DGH to see progress on the new surgery hub and to look at the site for the new hospital.
“This new hospital investment, worth many hundreds of millions of pounds, will transform healthcare locally and is a key part of the government’s plan for a modern NHS.
“I would also like to thank Caroline. She has been a huge champion of the new hospital plans all these years and has done so much work with me, the department of Health and Social Care and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.”
