The Scrutiny Committee of Sutton Council met on Wednesday 12 July 2017 to discuss the future of Epsom and St Helier hospitals, with a particular focus on the condition of their buildings and potential future developments. The committee heard that while patient care has improved, the current facilities are inadequate and require significant investment. No firm decisions were made at this meeting, as the discussion was part of an ongoing engagement process with the public.

Future of Epsom and St Helier Hospitals

The meeting focused on the urgent need to upgrade the facilities at Epsom and St Helier hospitals to provide 21st-century healthcare. Daniel, the Chief Executive of the local hospitals, explained that while patient safety, staffing, and finances have seen improvements, the buildings are a significant challenge. He highlighted that 43% of the hospital buildings are deemed unsuitable for future healthcare delivery.

Examples were given of the poor conditions, including a female surgical ward at St Helier Hospital where beds are too close together, offering little privacy and increasing infection control risks. Water leaks through ceilings and drafty windows were also noted. Furthermore, the current infrastructure poses logistical problems, with beds sometimes being too large for certain lifts, necessitating patient transfers across wards, and patients occasionally needing to be taken outside in ambulances for scans, which is problematic in adverse weather.

In contrast, the elective orthopaedic centre at St Helier, built around 14 years ago, was presented as an example of a purpose-built facility that allows for better patient care, privacy, and infection control. This facility has separate rooms, side rooms for isolation, and adequate space for patient mobilisation.

The discussion also touched upon the success of delivering care closer to home, exemplified by the Epsom and St Helier Health and Care initiative and the Sutton Vanguard. This approach involves integrated teams of GPs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, and social services working together to support patients in their homes. This has led to improved outcomes, particularly for hip fracture patients, with a significant reduction in mortality rates since the centralisation of the hip fracture service.

Three potential scenarios for future development were presented for further analysis:

• Scenario 1: Repairing many of the existing buildings at St Helier Hospital over the next few years, with the potential to build a new acute block on the surrounding land.
• Scenario 2: Focusing on Epsom Hospital, where the existing buildings require the least investment to meet required standards.
• Scenario 3: Developing Sutton Hospital, co-located with the Royal Marsden, to improve cancer services by integrating them with existing cancer care facilities.

It was reiterated that in all proposed scenarios, 85% of patients would continue to be cared for at Epsom and St Helier hospitals, with a specialist acute facility located at one of the sites. The hospital trust is committed to keeping both Epsom and St Helier hospitals fully open during this planning process and is actively seeking public engagement. Residents are encouraged to share their views via email, post, or by attending or inviting the trust to local group events. Councillor Edward Joyce (Chair: Scrutiny Committee, Vice Chair: Beddington and Wallington Local Committee) was in attendance.