Proposed new Royal Preston site criticised by local MP

The Royal Preston Hospital should be refurbished where it stands rather than a new one being built eight miles away in South Ribble.

That is the verdict of Preston MP Sir Mark Hendrick who is also calling for an urgent treatment unit to be opened in the city centre as part of an alternative vision for the future of local health services.

Speaking for the first time since it was announced last week that the NHS had purchased a plot in Farington on which it wants to create a new hospital, Sir Mark said the site was “in the wrong place for most of the people who require medical treatment in Preston”.

“It’s a bit too remote,” the long-serving Labour MP told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The land – off Stanifield Lane, close to where the M6 and M65 meet – is now the preferred option for a replacement Royal Preston.  However, no final decision has been taken and the proposed site will be the subject to public consultation before it can be formally approved.

Nevertheless, it is a milestone moment for Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS bosses who decided in 2022 that they were going to try to make the case for government investment in an entirely new, state-of-the-art hospital rather than exploring the option of partially rebuilding the existing Fulwood facility on Sharoe Green Lane.

But Sir Mark says the latter would be preferable for the majority of Prestonians – especially those in living poorer parts of the city – provided it came with the move of some acute services into the city centre.

“Ideally, what we want is an urgent treatment centre in the centre of Preston.   The Royal Preston [is] over concentrated, so…there’d be more space [there] having moved the acute services out.

“I’d much prefer refurbishment [of the] Royal Preston.   I think a location off the motorway for a brand new hospital is extremely expensive and dislocates the hospital from more convenient sites for acute treatment.

“In the St. Matthew’s ward, in central Preston, 50 percent of the residents have no access to a vehicle [and to] move the facilities away from these populations I believe [will lead to] a further deterioration in the accessibility of critical services and associated health outcomes.

“I think that a community unit in the centre of Preston, probably near the bus station, would actually suit most people who haven’t got cars [as they] can easily get there,” Sir Mark explained.

He also echoed the sentiment of Preston City Council leader Matthew Brown by expressing concern over the impact of the current proposal on those residents most likely to need hospital services.

“The stark inequalities our population face is typified by a nine-year difference in life expectancy between the most and the least deprived wards.    Emergency admissions to the hospital for COPD, for example, are 11 times higher in our most deprived parts of the city.

“To move the hospital and the vital services it provides away from our most deprived communities – I think that will only exacerbate the problems,” the city’s MP warned.

He said he would be “making representations” to the NHS about his proposal.

The Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme said when it revealed its preferred location for the new Royal Preston last week that it had an “exit strategy” to dispose of the land should a more suitable site be found.

NHS bosses stressed that they were still open to suggestions for different locations, but did not give any indication that they would pivot to considering a refurbishment of the Royal Preston on the site it has occupied for almost 50 years.

However, while the government released the money to buy the land, it has not yet completed its ongoing review of the nationwide slate of new hospital projects – meaning funding for the building itself has yet to be confirmed.  But the land deal has understandably been seen as a positive sign of a favourable outcome.

Boundary changes mean the current Royal is no longer within a Preston constituency.  Having previously fallen under the now defunct Wyre and Preston North patch, the facility now lies in the sprawling Ribble Valley seat.

The recently-elected Labour MP for that constituency, Maya Ellis, was approached for comment about the new hospital proposal.

‘Ideal home for hospital’

The proposed location for the new Royal Preston has been welcomed by Chorley MP and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle who first suggested a new “super hospital” be built in almost the same spot – at Cuerden – more than six years ago when plans for an IKEA store fell through.

At that time, the intention was to replace both the Royal Preston and also Chorley and South Ribble hospitals – but the foreseeable future of the latter has since been secured.

The new Royal will remain as the provider of some specialist services for the whole of Lancashire – including for certain cancer, vascular and renal treatments.  It will also continue to operate as the county’s major trauma centre.

If the plans come to pass, the facility will open in the mid-2030s and Sir Lindsay said he was “delighted” at the prospect of it springing up so close to Chorley – in a place which he said made sense for the whole of Central Lancashire.

“This site is ideal for a new hospital given that [the] location is central to the populations of Chorley, South Ribble and Preston.

“I’ve met with previous ministers about this and, more recently, with the Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting, to ensure that sign-off was given to purchase the land.

“But it also offers an opportunity to have a centre of excellence for health in Lancashire, as the site is strategically located and has capacity for future growth,” Sir Lindsay added.

South Ribble MP Paul Foster – in whose constituency the new facility would stand – said the site was “the right choice without any doubt”.

“Along with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, I’ve been [resolute] in our desire for the Cuerden site to be selected.

“We are now continuing negotiations with the Secretary of State to ensure the final business case is signed off next year – and we can then begin the formal planning to get this built,” Mr. Foster said.

Planning permission would be required before work could actually get under way.

Meanwhile, Professor Silas Nicholls, chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which operates the Royal Preston, has paid tribute to the “hard work” of all those who have helped bring the new hospital project to its current point.

“We would like to pay particular tribute to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who has long been a passionate advocate for high quality services for his constituents – and all those who access Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble hospitals.

“Sir Lindsay has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to enable us to get to this important milestone.

“We have been very fortunate to have had widespread support from MPs in Central Lancashire and we would like to thank them all for their help and look forward to their continued involvement,” Prof Nicholls added.