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THE CASE FOR A WHAT YOU CAN DO SAVE THE Sign the EDP petition NEW HOSPITAL IN https://www.change.org/p/matthew- hancock-mp-build-a-new-hospital- KING'S LYNN for-king-s-lynn QEH CONTACT YOUR MP The QEH is a 515 bed general Why do we need a new hospital in Send an email or a letter demanding King’s Lynn? that they lobby the government for a hospital in King’s Lynn. It The Queen Elizabeth Hospital was fully funded maintenance programme provides healthcare services to opened in 1980. It had been built, and a new build hospital. West and North Norfolk, parts of along with the James Paget in North West Norfolk: James Wild - [email protected] Breckland, North Gorleston and West Suffolk in South West Norfolk: Liz Truss - Cambridgeshire and South Bury, as a “best by” hospital. It [email protected] was meant to last 30 years but North East Cambs: Steve Barclay - Lincolnshire. It covers approx. has now been standing for 40. [email protected] 1500 km2. The local population South Holland and the Deepings: Sir of this area is approximately Both the James Paget and West John Hayes - Suffolk have been awarded [email protected] 331,000, but is set to expand funding for a new hospital. But dramatically. Many of the ours has not. WHY? CONTACT YOUR LOCAL TRADES residents are older; however, COUNCIL Ask us if you need help emailing or new housing developments The hospital's risk register, which sending a letter, or to find out more have seen a population growth was reviewed by its governing about this campaign. in young families. We kingslynnanddistricttradescouncil@ho board on March 2, states: "There desperately need to retain a is a direct risk to life and safety tmail.co.uk fully functioning general hospital of patients, visitors and staff due MPs must be held accountable for here. to the potential of catastrophic their failure to get the funding we failure of the roof structure due need for a new hospital and funding to structural deficiencies." to maintain the current one. When the QEH was built, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated A trust employee who remained Concrete (RAAC) planks were used. anonymous, claimed that the These are much weaker than situation there was like a traditional concrete and crack, leak, cannot bear weight and have “Grenfell” waiting to happen. a life span of just 30 years The hospital management has had to move patients and close wards. The It will take up to 10 years to build a Critical Care Unit was closed with just new hospital, including the planning. 30 minutes notice. Patients who weigh Meanwhile staff must work in the old over 40 stone can't be cared for on hospital, and patients continue to be some wards and their visitors have to treated there EVEN THOUGH IT IS visit 1 at a time due to concerns over NOT SAFE. the weakness of the concrete. Hospitals get paid money each time they do a In February 2020 the QEH developed a planned operation.If they can’t do the proposal for a £250 million capital operations, then they won’t get the investment that incorporated a mix of new amount of funding they need. So our build, refurbishment and redevelopment of hospital is at risk of losing funding if it existing accommodation. But the Government refused. Previously the QEH can't do the necessary number of was given a loan for repair work - a loan procedures. that has to be repaid. Conservative austerity has led to our hospital falling Our hospital must down. If doctors can’t do the same number of operations then they risk losing their be fully funded to clinical expertise, basically it means The roof of the hospital is unsafe because the RAAC planks that were used to build it they’ll lose their skills. Trained health repair the damage have cracked, are weak and cannot bear professionals spend a lot of time weight. In several wards acroprops are becoming good at their job, they can’t that has already already being used. It is increasingly likely risk losing their skills, so to avoid that that collapse of part of the roof might occur, happening, they’ll simply leave the QEH happened, and it causing a huge disruption at best but and go and work elsewhere. The must be fully possibly loss of life. hospital will then find it harder to offer the same services – operations, as they funded for a new do at the moment if they can’t get the staff to do the work. With a building hospital. We must that’s falling down, wards closed and not be faced with staff leaving it’ll become harder and harder to get staff to work at our local a dilemma of hospital. Then the hospital will find it harder and harder to get the funding choosing one or that it needs. It becomes a vicious circle, the other, we need shrinking because of one reason and then because of another. both..

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