Doubts grow over funding for Hospital closure plan
- Where will the money come from for the ‘neighbourhood health centre’ (NHC) to replace Hemel Hospital?
- The Market Square ‘health centre’ Hub would cost £135m, according to West Herts Trust Board papers
- But last week the Government confirmed that the first 50 NHCs would cost an average of just – £4m for refurbishments
- There are plans to eventually house some NHCs in new buildings – but the MAXIMUM cost would be a reported £40m
- So the Market Square Hub would cost three times more than any other in the country
- Money raised from the sale of the Hospital site is going to be modest, a Trust official admitted last year
- This plan doesn’t sound good value for money – the Hub appears basically a ‘rationalisation’ of existing services
- Here is the link to the Government announcement:
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/communities-to-benefit-from-health-centres-on-their-doorstep