RBH modernisation - have your say

Hundreds of millions to be invested on Royal Berkshire Hospital modernisation – and the hospital wants to know your views

Author: Tevye Markson - LDRUPublished 3rd Sep 2020

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (RBNFT) is one of 21 trusts across the country that has been granted seed funding to help develop a detailed plan to redevelop its hospital.

The trust says hundreds of millions of pounds will be invested over the course of the next ten years “to develop and deliver outstanding NHS services that are fit for the future”.

It also wants to play a greater part in the growth and development of the local economy.

Royal Berkshire Hospital has a significant backlog of maintenance problems, severely restricted space and many are no longer completely fit for purpose, according to the trust.

RBNFT also says the hospital layout “is far from perfect” with wards and diagnostic areas distant from each other meaning privacy can be compromised as patients are move around the hospital.

Now looking to develop a blueprint for “an amazing hospital” for local people, the trust wants staff, patients, partners and the local community to help design it.

What does the survey ask?

The survey https://thefutureroyalberkshire.uk.engagementhq.com/royal-berkshire-fit-for-the-future sets out five priorities and asks residents to put them in order of importance:

Modern hospital facilities designed for the 21st century

Hospital facilities for citizens with more complex, multiple needs

A hospital that’s part of the community and helps stimulate economic growth

A hospital with world class training and development opportunities for staff

A sustainable hospital that helps improve the quality of our environment

The survey also asks for opinions on:

If hospitals should deliver outpatient appointments in the community whenever that’s possible

Remote appointments via telephone/video

Its strategy for the next five years: ‘Vision 2025’ https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/Downloads/About%20us/vision-2025.pdf

It also asks for ideas which residents would like the hospital trust to consider as it develop plans for a new hospital in Berkshire.

Recently, the trust created an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), audiology and plastic surgery hub is at Townlands Memorial Hospital in Henley.