MP welcomes 72 new beds for Peterborough hospital - but Labour describe move as 'a sticking plaster'

A move to create 72 new beds at Peterborough City Hospital has been labelled as a ‘sticking plaster’ by Labour.

The Government has announced the hospital will receive £12.5 million to turn offices into two new wards, each with 36 beds in.

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow has welcomed the news, saying: “We are getting an extra £12 million for 72 new beds, which will make a huge difference for patients in our city. This new capacity will make use of unused office space for clinical use and relieve winter pressure on our local NHS.

“Extra capacity at the hospital is constantly brought up when I speak with constituents and I have been pressing ministers down at Westminster.

“Together we did it and I want to congratulate everyone at the hospital that helped make this happen.

“This Government is investing in Peterborough. They have shown yet again they believe in our potential.

“I am delighted about this extra funding, it comes just months after it was announced we will also be getting a new Community Diagnostics Centre in Peterborough.

“We are a city on the up!"

North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara also welcomed the news, saying: “This is excellent news. This additional funding for the 72 new beds will be of considerable benefit to the local community.

"By increasing bed capacity, patient flow will be improved, as will patient waiting times.”

However, Labour’s Andrew Pakes, who will be the party’s candidate in the Peterborough ward at the next election, said more needed to be done.

He said: “Everyone knows the NHS is at breaking point whether it is record waiting times, the lack of NHS dentists or struggling to get a doctor’s appointment.

“Whilst 72 new beds is a start, waiting lists are now higher than ever with more people waiting to start treatment locally and across England.

“More than 80,000 patients are now waiting to start treatment locally, up by more than 15,000 compared to last year.

“People are fed up of the excuses from this government. We have brilliant, dedicated NHS workforce across Peterborough doing their best, but they need the funding and support to do their job.

“Peterborough deserves better. We need a plan to address the staffing shortages in health and social care service, to ensure the timely and quality care that patients deserve.”

Work to create the new wards will start later in 2023, and is expected to take a year to complete.

The Trust will soon take delivery of a modular building on its site which will provide temporary office space for some staff to hot-desk. It is also equipping staff to work from home, or one of its two other hospital sites in Huntingdon and Stamford, as part of its agile working plans.

In addition, work has started on a separate modular ward at Peterborough City Hospital as part of a previous capacity-creation initiative, which is due to complete by 31 March 2024 in readiness to receive its first patients in the Spring.