Questions over delayed public consultation for Nottingham hospital rebuild plan

Tomorrow’s NUH – the redevelopment led by Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) – has been described as a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to reshape hospital services in the city.

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

The entire programme is being by a share of a £3.7bn pot pledged for 40 major hospital trusts by the government.

But at a health scrutiny meeting on December 14, Nottingham City councillors questioned delays to the public consultation, which was originally planned to start before Christmas.

Coun Georgia Power (Lab), committee chair, also suggested funding for the project from the Government was not enough.

The Integrated Care Board (ICB), which organises local healthcare services, is planning to hold a 12-week public consultation on the plans next year – but an exact timeline has not yet been set.

The major building work is planned to start in 2028.

The new Centre for Women, Children and Families at QMC will take around three years to build.

Nottinghamshire County Council agreed the plans should progress to public consultation on December 12.

As the city council discussed the matter at its health scrutiny committee, there were questions over the delays.

Coun Maria Joannou (Lab), who represents Bulwell, said: “Do you have a date when this public consultation is going to start because it keeps being delayed.

“It is quite a crucial piece of work.”

Alex Ball, director of communications and engagement at the ICB, replied: “We don’t have a set date yet, that is pending the decision of the ICB.

“Our intention is for this to be done in a timely way, bearing in mind the elections for the new East Midlands mayor in May.

“The general guidance from NHS England for any election is that if you have started consultation activities, you should finish them up.

"In general, you want to try and go quiet if not silent during that election period.

“We’ve had a number of different timetables.

“There was a proposal that we could’ve started pre-Christmas.”

Mark Wightman, director of strategy and reconfiguration at the ICB, added: “Tomorrow’s NUH is one of the biggest schemes in the country.

“We should feel blessed about it.

“It won’t solve all the issues at NUH over the next 30 years but it will go a hell of a long way to solving some of them.”

But Coun Power replied: “I don’t think we feel blessed about it.

“I don’t think it is enough money for what is needed in our NHS in Nottingham and the amount of money this Government has taken away from us in the past 13 years.

“This is a fraction of the cost we are getting back.

“We should expect our Government to invest in the NHS not be grateful for the minimum amount they put in.”

Speaking after the meeting, Coun Power added: “It does seem to have been delayed quite a lot.

“But there is a balance, this is the biggest hospitals programme that we’ve ever seen and we have to get it right.”