Brake Challenges the Government over the Progress of Better Healthcare Closer to Home Programme

3.00.00pm GMT Tue 12th Jan 2010

Yesterday local MP Tom Brake questioned the Minister for Health Services, Mike O'Brien MP, in Parliament about the progress of the Better Healthcare Closer to Home (BHCH) project. This is the project which once completed, with give Sutton's residents a new state of the art hospital extension and local care centre.

Tom thanked the Minister for his support to date for BHCH and asked if the Department of Health was on track to complete the review of the project by the end of the month.

The Minister told Tom, 'We want to move the project on as fast as we reasonably can, and we hope to be able to get things sorted through by the end of the month. … the objective is to get the project moving.'

After leaving the chamber Tom said, 'I am pleased that the Department of Health want to move the project on as fast as they can. We need all the partners involved, including national government, Sutton Council and the local health service to be fully committed to delivering this exciting £200 million project on time and on budget.'

'I will continue to lobby the Government on this and push for decisions to be made quickly over St Helier's future. St Helier Hospital is at the heart of our community and we need it re-built as soon as possible.'