Hugely impressive centre filled with dedicated staff

I WAS delighted to invite the Prime Minister to Cheltenham General last Thursday to thank staff working in the brand new £17.2m Chedworth Surgical Unit.

The new building has been taking shape next to the Lido over the last two years, and began treating patients last week.

It is hugely impressive. With two new state-of-the-art operating theatres, it will treat an extra 1,500-plus patients a year in specialisms including urology and orthopaedics.

And it will do so in bright, modern facilities which allow patients to be cared for with dignity and decency.

Surgeons will perform operations on hips, knees and the abdomen, and there is an interventional radiology room to carry out a range of advanced procedures, shortening recovery time and improving patient outcomes.

Hospital facilities, however hi-tech, are nothing without their staff.

So it was so uplifting to see the Prime Minister bowled over by the enthusiasm and dedication of the clinical staff who showed us round.

There was an obvious sense of energy and can-do spirit from those that we met, and a consensus that this facility will make a real difference to our friends and neighbours here in Gloucestershire.

More generally, this multi-million pound cash boost is the latest vote of confidence in the future of Cheltenham General.

It comes alongside the £10.2m we were awarded last year to build a new orthopaedic theatre and birthing unit, the £6.5m major upgrade of CGH’S Radiology Department, £2 million for a new Apollo theatre, £1.25 million for a new cancer-busting robot, and £900,000 to upgrade A&E waiting facilities. It takes the total capital investment in our hospital since 2015 to nearly £50m.

But we can’t stop there. So with the Prime Minister in town, I took the opportunity to bang the drum for a Gloucestershire Cancer Institute.

The three-storey new-build at Cheltenham General would provide cutting-edge Systemic Anti-cancer Therapy and new consulting rooms.

It would also include a robotic cancer resection centre.

It would be a major step forward in the treatment of this terrible disease and would support earlier screening, faster diagnosis and referral, and improve treatment for people living with and beyond cancer.

Like the Health Secretary, the Prime Minister received my pitch positively, and I will keep readers updated on the campaign.

As we continue to improve our local health facilities, let us never forget the talent, dedication and commitment of local staff to whom our town owes a debt of gratitude.