💗 IMPORTANT UPDATE: ST HELIER'S FUTURE RAISED WITH NATIONAL NHS LEADERS

3,233 signatures and counting - and another important development for our campaign.

I wanted to share an update following a press release received from the NHS Trust regarding the deteriorating condition of St Helier Hospital.

The Trust has announced that Group Chief Executive Mat Shaw will meet representatives of the Government's New Hospital Programme on Thursday 5th November, to raise urgent concerns about the condition of St Helier's buildings and seek clarity on investment.

The announcement highlights several serious infrastructure problems, including:

• The closure of 13 beds in a unit caring for frail and elderly patients following significant cracks in the walls.
  Repeated lift failures affecting children's services.
• Essential repairs requiring contingency planning for maternity and neonatal services.
• £60 million spent maintaining ageing hospital buildings in recent years, with significant challenges remaining.

The Trust says it will seek clarity on immediate funding to address the most serious building risks, alongside the timetable for the proposed new hospital in Sutton.

Our hospital needs investment - and our maternity services need protecting.

These developments highlight the serious challenges facing St Helier Hospital.

We recognise that the safety of patients, babies and staff must always come first. The condition of the hospital's buildings cannot be ignored.

However, the need for urgent repairs should not mean that the permanent loss of local maternity services is inevitable.

The NHS Trust has previously confirmed that phased refurbishment at St Helier remains under consideration alongside temporary relocation of maternity and neonatal services.

No preferred option has yet been selected.

We believe every safe and viable option for retaining maternity services at St Helier must be properly assessed, including the funding needed to make those options possible.

If temporary relocation is considered necessary to carry out essential repairs, the community deserves clear information about how long this would last, what safeguards would be in place and how services would return.

📢 Our community must be heard BEFORE a preferred option is chosen. This remains one of our most important priorities.

The Trust has indicated that further community engagement will take place once the Board identifies a preferred option.

We believe local residents, expectant parents, families and staff should have a meaningful opportunity to contribute before that recommendation or decision is made.

We are continuing to request public engagement at St Helier, transparent evidence about the options and formal consideration of our petition before a preferred option is selected.

What happens next?
We have received an invitation to meet with the Trust's Group Chief Executive, Mat Shaw, and are awaiting arrangements.

The Trust has also offered to discuss how our petition can be formally submitted to the NHS Board.

We will continue seeking answers about:

• Funding for urgent repairs and the feasibility of retaining services.
• Patient safety and the impact of travelling to alternative hospitals.
• Staffing and capacity at potential receiving hospitals.
• The process for involving the community before a preferred option is selected.
• How our petition and supporters' concerns will be considered by the Board.
• The Trust has said it will provide a further update following its meeting with the New Hospital Programme.

💗 3,233 SIGNATURES — THANK YOU!
Our campaign continues to grow, and posters are now appearing across the communities affected by these proposals.

Thank you to everyone who has signed, shared, displayed a poster or sent us their experiences and concerns.

Our message remains clear: invest in safe maternity care, fully explore the options for retaining services at St Helier, and involve our community before decisions are made.

Please keep sharing our petition.

Our community. Our maternity services. Our voices. 💗