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KGH gets go ahead to prepare for rebuild

KGH rebuild
Kettering General Hospital has received the go-ahead to start enabling works to prepare for its multi-million pound rebuild.
 
The hospital has received written confirmation from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England that it can begin to access £38m of capital from an initial funding allocation of £46m announced in October 2019.
 
This will mean the hospital can start to prepare parts of its site for the major rebuild itself, which, subject to business case approvals and funding, could begin in 2025.
 
Our Director of Strategy Polly Grimmett, who is overseeing the hospital’s plans, said: “It is great news that we now have the official go-ahead to start enabling works which will pave the way for our hospital rebuild.
 
"One of the first things we will do is start work to prepare our site for a new energy centre and for new electrical infrastructure.
 
“This is a vital foundation for the rebuild and will help to reduce some of the considerable risks we face on a daily basis working with old facilities on a large and extremely busy hospital site.”
 

Who said yes?

The hospital has had its outline business case for the Energy Centre approved by Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England’s Joint Investment Committee.
 
Subject to further approvals work could start in December 2023 and be completed by December 2024.
 
In addition, it has had its £4.14m case for electrical infrastructure approved by the New Hospital Programme Investment Committee with work due to start in Spring 2023 to be completed by the end of the year.
 
The hospital is currently running its heating and hot water from a 10-year-old temporary boiler plant and steam network system, which has regular maintenance issues.
 
In addition, most of the hospital’s high voltage electrical infrastructure is more than 50 years old and its main power supply has reached its maximum capacity.
 
New Energy Centre Artist Impression 2The new Energy Centre will make a significant contribution towards the Trust’s ambition to achieve net carbon zero status by 2040.The new facility will deliver 40% of the target reduction in carbon emissions and use less fossil fuel.
 
Hospital Chief Executive Deborah Needham said: “It is great news that our plans for a major rebuild of Kettering General Hospital have taken a step forward.
 
“There is an urgent need to make our hospital suitable for the future needs of our rapidly growing local population – one of the fastest growing in England.”
 

Secretary of State and local MP support

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “As part of our New Hospital Programme, patients and staff in Kettering will benefit from new state of the art facilities to improve care and speed up diagnosis.
 
“I am pleased the Trust can drive forward with these essential early building works, including upgrading 50-year-old electrical infrastructure, which we discussed during my visit in August.
 
“This is an important next step, helping to build a stronger, healthier future for our health and care services to give people the security of knowing services will be there for them when they need it.” 
 
Kettering MP Philip Hollobone, who has been actively campaigning for improved facilities at the hospital, said: “Today (Tuesday, November 29)  is a really important day for Kettering, with the long awaited and much campaigned for, official Government go ahead for the start of the redevelopment works at KGH.
 
“KGH is a much-loved local hospital which has been serving the local community with pride on the same site for 125 years. This is the start of the biggest ever investment in our local NHS and will provide local residents with the expanded hospital we need for the years ahead.”
 
New Hospital Programme Senior Responsible Owner Natalie Forrest also welcomed the milestone saying: “These enabling works are the first important step in transforming patient care and delivering a new hospital for the people of Kettering.
 
“We have worked closely with teams from the Trust to find the best solutions, renewing much-needed infrastructure, which will prepare the way for a modern, more effective and efficient building.”
 
The hospital serves the population of Northamptonshire and south Leicestershire, which has already grown by double the national average over recent years.
 
The latest Office for National Statistics data estimates above-average percentage population growth of up to 40% over the next 30 years.
 
The hospital expects a 21% increase in the number of over-80s in the local area in the next five years. The local area has committed to at least 35,000 new houses over the next 10 years, and the local population is set to rise by some 84,000 to 400,000 people.

 

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