Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth, said "It is with huge concern and anger that the public learn today that the promised £10m Hinckley Day Case Unit, for which planning was permitted last July, is now in jeopardy and risks being cancelled.
Papers being presented to the NHS Integrated Care Board suggest the Board should cancel the project due to increased costs, changes in demand across Leicestershire and delivery delays.
Both the NHS and Borough Council are referenced as significant reasons for delays, including specific mentions of discussions around the frontage of the old hospital, despite repeated assurances that keeping the frontage was not viable.
There was even a last-minute letter from the Lib Dem Borough Council Leader, Stuart Bray, asking the Health Secretary to "look again" and delay the project further. Cllr Bray went so far as to state he didn't see the delay as "too much concern". I was not sighted on, nor informed of, the sending of such a letter, and criticised this intervention so late in the process.
I made it clear at the time that this put the project in serious jeopardy, as we need a hospital not a museum. As the papers confirm, it is no longer in use and stands derelict.
Now, with extra costs due to delays, Labour's constraints on NHS capital spending, changes to priorities, and an updated assessment of services in Leicestershire, the Day Case Unit looks likely to be canned.
I raised this in the House of Commons today and have already written to the Health Secretary. But make no mistake, the Council and the NHS have a lot to answer for.
Should the decision be made this month to cancel the project, I will continue to hold both to account and look for further solutions.
We have had huge success with the £24m Community Diagnostic Centre that is now open. This is certainly a big setback, but by no means a defeat for our community!
In the NHS papers, it says "In the interim, the £2.7m allocated to the scheme will be used to develop the site." Therefore, I will continue to do all I can to secure better healthcare for Hinckley and the surrounding areas.
As always, I will keep you updated as soon as I know more.
You can read the Borough Council Leader's letter here: https://www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/downloads/file/8572/letter_to_wes_streeting_mp
