Nothing is more important to all of us and our families than our health. Our community is nothing without good healthcare infrastructure,
This is why the 'once-in-a-generation' upgrade of our local hospitals is game-changing for Bournemouth.
The Government has invested £250m into new facilities in Dorset - the largest NHS investment in our history.
I have been lobbying health ministers for years to get this support and am delighted it is finally coming to fruition. What does it mean for us in Bournemouth and Poole?
Royal Bournemouth Hospital
- a new multi-use BEACH building, comprising of a maternity unit, children’s unit and an enhanced emergency and critical care unit.
- new Pathology Hub
- Bigger and more accessible car park
Poole Hospital
- Eight new operating theatres including four ‘barn’ theatres.
- 24/7 Urgent Treatment Centre
Not only is this news fantastic on its own, but the project's completion date has been brought forward by eighteen months to this coming spring. We will benefit from these new facilities in less than a year.
We have invested in the best possible facilities to match the efforts of the NHS staff that work within them. And we are recruiting more, having employed over 85 more doctors and nurses in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Hospitals this year alone.
In Dorset over the past year, there were over 470,000 more GP appointments than in 2019. Our work has helped the nation meet the Government's target of 50 million more GP appointments annually.