West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust (WHHT) board in the UK is set to receive funds to make payments to the external advisors who are supporting their redevelopment plans.
Earlier this month, WHHT board said that due to financial issues it will be unable to pay key professionals.
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With this funding, WHHT said that the Watford General Hospital re-development will move ahead as the new capital infusion will help the trust to keep its team together and on track.
The advisors will be required to provide a comprehensive ‘cost benefit’ analysis of options for the three hospitals: Hemel Hempstead Hospital, St Albans City Hospital and Watford General Hospital, which are manged by the Trust.
Information provided by the advisors will be included in the outline business case (OBC) that also includes a detailed design and implementation plan for the trust’s preferred option for each hospital.
Upon completion of OBC, it will be submitted to the New Hospital Programme for approval and funding.
WHHT’s board said that it has now become necessary to replace the majority of the existing clinical buildings at Watford General Hospital with new clinical facilities.
The Trust said that the planning application for the development of a new emergency and specialist care hospital has already been approved on the land adjacent to the current hospital.
WHHT Deputy chief executive Helen Brown said: “We are confident that the cost benefit appraisal will clearly demonstrate that replacing the majority of buildings at Watford – including the Princess Michael of Kent building – is the best option, clinically and financially.
“We will follow the process and provide a range of costed options but we feel very strongly that keeping our main clinical block would be a very poor use of public money. “In the case of our hospitals in Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, we will be recommending a mixture of some new build and some refurbishment of current buildings on these two sites.”
