Grantham Hospital could close if proposals for a new healthcare campus on the site of the Prince William of Gloucester Barracks come to fruition.
Grantham Nub News revealed last week that South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) is looking to create a garden village-style development on the barracks site, being released by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) from next year to meet Government housing targets.
Included in this redevelopment are details of a new Health and Care Campus 'bringing together existing local services onto one site' and potentially employing 1,100 staff on land earmarked for employment.
We asked Lincolnshire Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) direct questions about the proposals for the Somerby Hill barracks site and what effect this would have on the existing Grantham Hospital should they progress.
The responses are given in full below, but in summary Lincolnshire STP:
- confirmed 'opportunities' at the site are being considered
- declined to give details of the proposed facility - despite highly detailed information being submitted to the Government
- did not rule out Grantham Hospital closing if the barracks proposal progressed
- declined to say, if Grantham Hospital did close, what healthcare services would be provided at the new facility
SKDC has amended the policy wording of its Local Plan 2011-2036 to unveil extensive plans for the barracks site to include up to 4,000 homes, eight hectares of employment-generating use, a new primary school, potentially a new secondary school, a 'community hub' with shops and 62 hectares of open space and woodland.
The 'Health and Care Campus' proposals feature in a 'Statement of Common Ground' document prepared jointly by SKDC and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) - an operating arm of the MOD.
The document states: "In respect of the employment land, Lincolnshire NHS Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP), through South West Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, are in discussions with the DIO regarding a significant parcel of land.
"Subject to the Grantham Southern Relief Road being in place the local NHS aspires to deliver a Health and Care Campus, bringing together existing local services onto one site.
"Providing integrated Health and Care services at scale and being able to provide accessible services to the local population of Grantham and the surrounding villages is a key tranche of the Lincolnshire STP plans and the NHS Long Term Plan.
"It will potentially transform the care offered and would support the drive to attract and retain doctors, nurses and other key NHS staff.
"The combined facilities could have in the region of 1,100 full and part-time staff.
"This would be a quality designed campus, providing a new and modern healthcare service to Grantham and wider Lincolnshire at the same time meeting the GP and community needs of the planned housing growth."
In the light of this new information, Grantham Nub News asked the following questions and received responses from a Lincolnshire STP spokesman:
Q: The report states 'the local NHS aspires to deliver a Health and Care Campus' on the Prince William of Gloucester Barracks site, Grantham. Please confirm whether this is true - yes or no?
A: Lincolnshire NHS is always considering and reviewing ways in which we can develop and improve the provision of local NHS services, and therefore we are naturally considering the opportunities that this may offer. This is at a very early stage of consideration.
Q: Does this proposal constitute a new hospital for Grantham? If it is not a hospital, then what exactly is the proposed Health and Care Campus?
A: As per the above we are at an early stage of exploring this potential opportunity and so it is too early to say. The NHS Long Term Plan and our Healthy Conversation 2019 engagement exercise describes how health and care provision is changing to deliver more proactive, preventative care closer to home. Integration of care, the use of technology and how the changing needs of the population will all help shape any future plans related to this.
Q: Under the proposal would the current Grantham Hospital close and all existing services be relocated to the new facility? If necessary, please provide details of which services would be lost or gained.
A: Again, too early to say. Should this opportunity develop, there would be significant engagement with [a] number of stakeholders, including the public and patients, in order to determine this.
- The site redevelopment proposal is subject to SKDC councillors adopting the Local Plan 2011-2036 and determination of planning application/s for the site.
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