"Bitter blow" as Government rejects calls for a new hospital for Doncaster

Since the summer of 2019, Doncaster Council and the Trust have been working on proposals to redevelop the Doncaster Waterfront area adjacent to Doncaster College which offered significant opportunity for redevelopment and regeneration as being one of the largest brownfield sites in the country.

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones said: “I am immensely disappointed that our Doncaster bid for a new hospital has been turned down by government. Our bid was incredibly strong, highlighting the far-reaching benefits for health and medical provision that a state-of-the-art new hospital would bring as well as social and economic benefits for the people of our city and the region.

“We are in urgent need of a new hospital for Doncaster that would support us to Level Up and I will continue to lobby this government to deliver a new hospital for Doncaster.”

A statement from Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Chief Executive, Richard Parker OBE said: “I am very disappointed that the Trust’s business case for the development of a new hospital in Doncaster has not been included in the Government’s New Hospital Programme.

“Doncaster Royal Infirmary is one of the largest sites in South Yorkshire and currently faces significant estate-related challenges, and the backlog maintenance work is now valued at over £118 million which highlights the significant, and urgent, need for investment to meet the growing demands of our city.

“As we won’t now be part of the Government’s programme, our focus, and that of our health and social care partners and local leaders, will now need to shift towards ensuring that Doncaster Royal Infirmary is fit for the future, as well as seeking clarity to understand what additional funding avenues and opportunities are available to us.

“We understand the importance of providing safe and effective healthcare services, and we will embark upon the challenging task of upgrading and maintaining our existing facilities to meet the needs of our patients and colleagues.

“Despite this setback, I would like to emphasise that DBTH has a strong track record of successfully delivering capital projects. In the previous financial year, we completed a development scheme totalling over £48 million. This demonstrates our commitment to improving our facilities and providing high-quality care for local people.

“Most importantly, our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our community remains unwavering. We will strive to ensure we deliver the very best services to meet the evolving care needs of the people of both Doncaster and Bassetlaw.

“Finally I would like to extend my gratitude to our dedicated team, who work tirelessly to provide exceptional care under challenging circumstances, as well as to our local representatives, local authority and health and social care partners across the region who have worked as hard as we have to try to secure the necessary funding. Together, we will continue to make the case for a new hospital at every opportunity.”

The existing hospital within the city, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, was initially built in the 1930s, with further development and expansion in the 1960s and 1980s and was expected to deal with around 200 patients at any one time. Since that time Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has outgrown the site and its related infrastructure, routinely caring for around 400 patients every day.

Due to the hospital’s age, there are around 600 outstanding maintenance jobs across DRI’s numerous buildings, with an estimated value of £118 million. The sheer cost of this is neither affordable nor best value for money.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals is one of only a small number of teaching hospitals within the region and hosts a range of services across three main hospital sites, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Bassetlaw Hospital and Montagu Hospital, serving around 440,000 people across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire.

The estimated cost of a new hospital in the city would be around £1.37 billion, the site has been identified and is shovel-ready and the build would begin at pace, taking around five years to complete.

In a joint statement from Dame Rosie Winterton MP, Ed Miliband MP and Mayor Ros Jones CBE, they said: “This is a bitter blow to our City from a Government that keeps failing to deliver for Doncaster.

“The former Prime Minister said that Doncaster was, “very much in the running,” for a new hospital. The former Health Secretary said, “I can see a strong case why Doncaster needs to be one of the hospitals we build.” Time and time again, the Government has raised the hopes of Doncaster residents only to have them dashed.

“Despite visits from two Secretaries of States and from Ministers, there has been nothing to show for it. These warm words have turned out to be empty words which are totally worthless. Ministers may enjoy visiting Doncaster, but what Doncaster really needs is Government investment.

“The Government has ignored the desperate problems on the existing DRI site and are ignoring the health and safety of residents.

“We would like to thank everyone who worked so hard putting together the strategic and business case for the new hospital. We know that they will be bitterly disappointed by this announcement.

“We will not give up the fight for the vision of a new hospital and regeneration for our City. But it is now clear it won’t be delivered by this government.”