💗 PROMISING NEWS: £5 MILLION ALLOCATED FOR CRITICAL REPAIRS AT ST HELIER
I wanted to share some encouraging news with everyone supporting our Save St Helier Maternity campaign.
On Wednesday 4th November, St Helier Hospital's deteriorating buildings and the future of its women's health services were raised in Parliament.
Helen Maguire MP highlighted the serious infrastructure problems affecting the hospital, including the maternity building.
In response, the Government confirmed that £5 million has been allocated for critical repairs at St Helier Hospital.
Importantly, the Government also expressed its wish to keep as many women's health services at St Helier as possible while essential repairs are carried out.
Why this matters to our campaign; our campaign has consistently recognised that urgent repairs are necessary to protect patients, babies and staff.
However, we have also been calling for every safe and viable option for retaining maternity and neonatal services at St Helier to be fully explored.
The announcement of funding, alongside the Government's stated intention to retain as many women's health services as possible, gives us reason to be cautiously optimistic.
Could this investment help make phased refurbishment or other options for retaining services on site more achievable?
We don't yet know.
The Government hasn't confirmed how the £5 million will be allocated or whether it will directly support the Women's Health Block.
These are questions we will be raising with our local representatives and NHS leadership.
What happens next?
The NHS Trust is expected to select a preferred option for the Women's Health Block in December.
We believe this funding announcement and the Government's stated position should be fully considered as part of that process.
We will continue asking for:
- Clarity about how the £5 million will be spent.
- A full assessment of safe options for retaining maternity and neonatal services at St Helier.
- Transparent consideration of the impact of any relocation on local families.
- Meaningful community engagement before a preferred option is selected.
- Formal consideration of our petition and supporters' concerns.
💗 Thank you for standing with us!
Our petition has now reached 3,330 signatures, and every person who has signed, shared or spoken up has helped demonstrate how important these services are to our community.
This announcement is encouraging, but it is not yet a decision to retain maternity services.
We will keep asking questions and campaigning for the best possible outcome for women, babies, families and NHS staff.
Our community. Our maternity services. Our voices. 💗