RESIDENTS will offer their views about the redevelopment or relocation of Royal Berkshire Hospital.
As part of the government’s New Hospital Programme, results from a public survey will help shape Build Berkshire Together’s business case application which will be submitted to the Treasury to secure the required funding.
The information gained from the survey designed by Healthwatch, local councils, the University of Reading, patient representatives and community organisations will provide the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust an understanding of preferred options.
Programme director Alison Foster said: “It is a complicated process to get to a shortlist and we want to make sure we have the latest intelligence about what health services the local population would like to receive, where and how.
“We are working hard to reach every corner of Berkshire and South Oxfordshire to speak to communities who will use and benefit from a modern, fit for purpose, healthcare facility to deliver excellent clinical care in the 21st century.”
The Trust is expecting to learn about the nature of financial investment from the Treasury in an announcement next month.
The New Hospital Programme team is developing a national approach which looks set to reduce costs for all the new hospitals with standardised and centralised approaches to deliver economies of scale.
The survey is now open and will close on March 6. In-person feedback sessions will take place in constituencies throughout January and February.
Findings will be published in the summer and the Trust has assured stakeholders it will continue to work alongside them as the programme develops to ensure patient experience and public views are considered at every stage.
The New Hospital Programme is the biggest hospital building programme in a generation, looking to create world-class health facilities through innovation and collaboration.
It will deliver 48 hospitals by 2030, including eight previously announced schemes and 32 confirmed new schemes. Expressions of interest for 8 additional schemes are currently being reviewed.
Replacing outdated infrastructure with modern and environmentally-sustainable buildings, the programme will lay the foundation for intelligent systems, driving innovation and investment in new diagnostics.
The survey can be found at: www.buildingberkshiretogether.co.uk/survey
