St Mary's Hospital Receives £800,000 Funding Boost

The Isle of Wight's St Mary's Hospital is to receive a Government investment of more than £800,000.

The money - part of the Government’s plans to ‘Build Back Better’ - will go towards the refurbishment of the Newport hospital's maternity unit.

It is hoped the funds will eradicate the maintenance backlog in NHS hospitals. An investment fund of £600 million has been set aside by the Government to tackle critical maintenance work.
 
Health bosses on the Island said the investment would enable the Isle of Wight NHS Trust to address some long-standing issues and upgrade parts of St Mary’s Hospital to the benefit of staff, patients and visitors.

Darren Cattell, Director of Finance, Estates and IM&T and Deputy Chief Executive at the IOW NHS Trust said:

“We are really pleased to have successfully secured over £800,000 from the UK Government’s Build Back Better funding, to support important improvement work at St. Mary’s Hospital.
 
“This funding will benefit staff, patients and visitors through an improved environment such as refurbished public toilet facilities and improved heating along with other essential works.
 
“We will also be refurbishing and redecorating our maternity unit, which will be a nice welcome to all the new babies. Investing in our buildings is a priority within our great people great place strategy and we look forward to completing this work in the coming months.”

The Trust said the first project on the list was the refurbishment of the maternity unit including the nurse call system.

Other projects include plans to upgrade public toilets within the hospital, safety measures to upgrade fire doors and improvements to the heating system.

All work is due to be completed by the Spring.

Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely said:

“I’m glad that the Government is yet again investing in Isle of Wight healthcare. Last year we secured £48 million to upgrade parts of St Mary’s and improve the patient experience through new innovative IT projects. This year we have seen the IOW NHS Trust’s £90 million debt written off by the Government and now more money is coming forward to address maintenance backlogs.
 
“I am grateful to the Government for delivering on its commitments to providing extra funding for NHS services both nationally and here on the Isle of Wight.

“When I became the Island’s MP, I promised to push the Government for more funding for the Island. That is now happening, but my promise does not end here. I will keep fighting the Island’s corner to ensure we get what we need.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

“Alongside delivering on our manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals and 20 major hospital upgrades across the country, this investment will help our NHS build back better.

“These crucial maintenance projects will deliver immediate benefits and provide NHS staff with the facilities they need to provide world-class care to their patients this winter, helping ensure the NHS is always there for you when you need it.”