Public consultation on major Nottingham University Hospitals plans moves a step closer

The ‘Tomorrow’s NUH’ programme has been described as a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to redevelop hospital services to address health inequalities and spark economic regeneration.

NUH which runs Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) and City Hospital, was chosen as one of 40 major hospitals to be funded by the Government to make the changes.

But the Government announced a delay to the plans earlier in May, meaning the work will not be complete by the end of 2030.

Now, Nottingham Council documents reveal plans to carry out a public consultation on the project will progress, but only ‘in due course’.

However, reports also state the public consultation should conclude before the start of the pre-election period for the mayoral election in late march 2024.

The NHS says the exact timings on the public consultation are still to be agreed.

The plans could see maternity and neonatal services being merged at QMC in a new women’s and children’s hospital.

Most planned operations, such as hip replacements and cataract surgery, would be delivered at the City Hospital, with some emergency care moving to the QMC.

Cancer treatment would continue to be delivered across both sites.

The vision is to turn City Hospital into a ‘centre of excellence for elective care’.

NHS bosses from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) will attend Nottingham Council’s health scrutiny committee on October 12 to give an update on the plans.

The ICB says it has completed the Pre-Consultation Business Case and NHS England has confirmed the funding and ‘given support to proceed to full public consultation’.

Council documents said: “This has been developed over several years, with significant clinical engagement and public engagement on broad proposals as they emerged.”

So far, three rounds of engagement with the public have been carried out between 2020 and 2023.

The ICB says that overall, the responses have shown ‘broad support’ for the plans with 78 per cent of respondents saying they were strongly/somewhat supportive of the plans.

In total, almost 3,850 people have so far had input into the plans.

The committee will be asked to approve the principle of proceeding to a public consultation on the plans.