Since I was first elected in 2015, I have advocated for better healthcare provision for my constituents in South East Cambridgeshire. Our county has one of the fastest growing populations in the United Kingdom, and I think it is vital that this fact is reflected in the quality of our services.
In recent months, my activity has involved protecting existing services like Priors Field Surgery in Sutton, Ely, which was in danger of closing at the end of March. Not only would this have left 6000 local residents without a surgery, but it risked overloading other surgeries in my constituency.
Nevertheless, the ambitions that I share with local health leaders extend beyond interventions like this. I am working to ensure that Cambridgeshire not only upholds but expands its healthcare capacity and receives the additional investment it needs from the Government.
On Thursday 25th May, the Government announced its plan to strengthen the UK’s health services through the £20 billion ‘New Hospital Programme’, and I am delighted that multiple announcements benefit our area.
Firstly, the Secretary of State confirmed that Cambridge Cancer Hospital will go ahead, in line with Cambridge University Hospitals’ plans. It is thought that preliminary construction for the seven-storey, 26,000 square-metre building will start soon at Cambridge Biomedical Campus and will continue until the first quarter of 2024, when the main construction will start. Work should then be completed sometime between the end of 2026 and early 2027.
The hospital will deliver specialist cancer research in partnership with the University of Cambridge, and will contain 19 separate departments, including a cyto-toxic pharmacy, which can store drugs that prevent cancer cells from dividing and growing.
The green light for Cambridge Cancer Hospital coincides with a commitment from the Secretary of State to rebuilding two hospitals with ageing infrastructure in the East of England. The first is Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdonshire, which has been identified as one of five major hospitals in need of priority attention. The second is West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, which I know serves many people residing in the east of my constituency. West Suffolk Hospital was already included in ‘Cohort 4’ of the draft programme, but the Health Secretary has firmed up his commitment to its funding for competition by 2030, which is welcome news.
These announcements also follow a multi-million pound Government investment earlier this year in a new Community Diagnostic Centre at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely. Once complete, the centre will offer medical checks, scans and tests, and other diagnostic services, which will cut waiting times at a crucial time for patients.
I look forward to working with local health authorities to see these plans through to completion and continuing to speak up for Cambridgeshire in future funding allocations.
