As Colchester's MP, I have always made clear that I want to be a critical friend to the Trust at our hospital. I have also made it clear that I would work with them to champion our success stories and the care which patients across North Essex receive, while holding them to account and being straight with them where things aren’t working. It has always been one of my priorities as an MP to lobby for increased investment for our hospital.
Recently, I campaigned for Colchester to be chosen as the preferred site for the proposed elective care centre for patients who need planned orthopaedic surgery, such as hip and knee replacements, and a day surgery unit re-build. After much anticipation, I was excited to learn that the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) has selected Colchester Hospital on Turner Road as its preferred option. The Trust has been working closely with patients, carers, staff, stakeholders and other community groups to look carefully at their decision and this will now be subject to a public consultation which closes at 5pm on 1 April.
The new centre would open in 2024 and would have at least 48 beds and up to six specialist operating theatres. It would bring a wide range of benefits to local people and Colchester's residents, including a better experience for patients and carers, fewer cancelled operations (as beds would be dedicated for planned orthopaedic surgery and could not be used by emergency patients), shorter waits for surgery, new and exciting ways of working (in turn helping to retain existing staff and attract new talent to our Trust), increased capacity to treat all local people into the future, and ensuring that every patient would stay at the centre in Colchester while having their surgery (with all other care before and after the operation being provided at either Colchester or Ipswich hospital).
I would strongly recommend that everyone takes a few minutes to respond to the consultation online at: http://www.esneft.nhs.uk/publicconsultation/