Hospital closed by commission to be sold to raise funds
A GRADE I-listed former hospital in York is being marketed for sale to generate funds for reinvestment in the NHS.
Bootham Park Hospital was shut down by the Care Quality Commission in October 2015 amid concerns that patients were at “significant risk of harm”.
A petition containing more than 8,000 signatures was later handed in to 10 Downing Street calling for the psychiatric hospital to reopen, but health bosses have declared the vacant 7.2-hectare site is surplus to NHS needs.
The decision by Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS England means that NHS Property Services has now been tasked with getting the best value from the site.
Principal transaction manager David Elstob, of NHS Property Services, said: “We know this historic site is important to people in York and we are working closely with heritage specialists and local organisations, including the city council through its wider One Public Estate responsibilities.
“By selling property that the NHS no longer needs, we can help increase efficiency and reduce the operational costs of the estate we oversee. Proceeds from the sale will be reinvested.”
The main building dates from around 1777 and is Grade I-listed, while the site also includes a number of Grade II-listed buildings and features.
Tracey Preece, chief finance officer at the CCG, said the facilities at the hospital had not met the high standards expected.
“For those people who are admitted to hospital, the quality of the environment is extremely important and we are committed to providing people in the Vale of York with a modern, state-of-theart hospital,” she said.
“A number of options for refurbishing, redesigning or replacing the existing buildings were reviewed but all of these proved extremely challenging and would not provide the high-quality facilities to care for patients.”
Last month City of York Council granted planning permission for the development of a new 72bed mental health hospital off Haxby Road in York.
There has also been investment in mental health community hubs, including the £2.1m Huntington House facility.
NHS Property Services intends to retain an interest in the chapel building to enable its continued use by the NHS. The site, which is protected by 24-hour security, is being marketed by Savills.