RADICAL plans for hospitals in central Hampshire will come under the spotlight from Monday.
The NHS is consulting on its proposals for a new hospital in or near Basingstoke and the downgrading of services at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.
As part of the multi-million development of a new hospital services at the RHCH will be downgraded including the closure of the A&E unit and the change of Florence Portal House to be midwife-led instead of by consultants.
The RHCH A&E unit would be replaced by a 24/7 doctor and nurse-led treatment centre.
Although the current A&E would close, many services will be retained including a planned surgery centre and outpatients.
READ MORE HERE: Winchester people criticise A&E closure plans
The value of the restructuring and the proposed development is estimated at between £700-900m.
Today, the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board have confirmed a consultation of patients, carers, staff, local communities and health and care partners on the proposals.
Maggie MacIsaac, chief executive of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said: “These exciting proposals provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve hospital facilities and hospital services and enable our colleagues to provide the very best care for people who need it.
“The proposals have been designed by clinicians, with patients, and are based on clinical evidence and best practice. At their heart is the need to deliver safe, high-quality services, sustainable for the future, with sufficient specialist staff to run services well.
“At this stage, they are still proposals. We are keen to hear what people think of the options we are putting forward, how the proposals could impact on them, and where they think they could be improved.”
The consultation will launch on Monday December 11 and run until midnight on March 17.
The NHS in Hampshire would like to know what people think about plans to build a new hospital, invest in Winchester hospital, and proposals for where services are provided from in future.
There will be a range of ways for people to get involved, including 20 public ‘listening events’, both in person and virtually, three drop-in exhibitions, community meetings, and market stalls.
More information will be available on the website for the consultation: www.hampshiretogether.nhs.uk.
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