I have nothing but huge admiration for every member of staff who works at Princess Alexandra Hospital, including: the consultants, doctors, nurses, midwives, porters, domestic workers and support staff who work tirelessly to provide the best possible service for residents in difficult circumstances.
It is worth noting that PAH experiences the highest A&E admissions anywhere in England, serving not only Harlow residents but across Essex and parts of Hertfordshire. This is why I’ve worked hard to pump more money into the hospital, including £11.5 million since 2018 alone. I’m also pleased to see over 190 more nurses and 53 more doctors since 2019.
Despite this further investment, the level of admissions puts an immense strain on the services it provides and is only made worse by the fact that the hospital buildings are not fit for purpose.
That’s why I campaigned for so many years to secure a new hospital for Harlow and I am pleased that this was confirmed as a “new integrated, high-tech healthcare campus” were outlined in the Government’s recent Levelling Up White Paper, consequently the only hospital to be featured in the white paper, confirming the new hospital for Harlow. I am meeting with the Health Secretary Sajid Javid this evening to discuss the new hospital and the pressures on our A & E.
I have also discussed the immediate issues of the delays in A&E with the hospital Chief Executive.
We also face issues with residents accessing their GP. That’s why I am meeting regularly with the West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and met with DR Jane Halpin of NHS East this morning.
They are in charge of Harlow’s GP surgeries and visiting surgeries across the town - to try and improve GP services for patients.
