Ian Roome: Urgent action needed to secure the future of NDDH

During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), I once again put our case directly to Keir Starmer.

I asked him to confirm a ministerial visit and to step in and back the hospital Trust’s emergency plans to maintain operating theatre capacity while we await the overdue upgrades.

In response, and no doubt in light of the mounting pressure from myself and our community, the Prime Minister confirmed that a ministerial visit to NDDH will take place.

I still remember my time working at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) – the sense of community among the staff and their dedication to patient care is something I'll never forget.

That’s why, as North Devon’s MP, I feel such a personal responsibility to fight for the hospital’s future.

The incredible staff and the patients shouldn’t be having to work with outdated resources and facilities.

They deserve the right support and investment.

This isn’t just vital for Barnstaple; it’s vital for the whole region and beyond.

Over the next 10 years, key resources and facilities will reach the end of their life at the same time that demand for the hospital is expected to grow, potentially exceeding capacity.

Our hospital’s operating theatres are small and cramped compared to modern standards.

In fact, many of its buildings and infrastructure are over 50 years old and have seen little investment over the past 25 years.

As NHS staff have repeatedly told me, this makes it increasingly difficult to provide modern healthcare services.

So the Labour government’s decision back in January to delay the much-needed upgrades and reconstruction of NDDH by over a decade was truly devastating.

Way before this announcement, I was already pressing the Government on the urgent need to upgrade NDDH’s critical care and operating theatre facilities.

And I’m not alone in these concerns - with over 6,000 people adding their names to my Open Letter to the Health Secretary, it’s clear that our community shares my determination to ensure this hospital gets the investment it desperately needs.

I hope the ministerial visit will force the Government to confront the implications of their decision and understand that, as the most remote acute hospital on mainland England, NDDH requires investment.

Our hospital serves a vast area and, if its services are disrupted, many patients will face a three-hour round trip (or worse) to the next nearest trauma unit in Exeter.

For those in Lynton, that could mean a round trip of nine hours by public transport.

This is absolutely shocking.

Meanwhile, the Government expects North Devon to take on a minimum of 6,500 new houses over the next five years.
More people means more pressure on our hospital.

If the Government is serious about these housing targets, they must also be serious about investing in the infrastructure to support them.

I have repeatedly called out the lack of transparency from the Government and for their risk assessments to be published.

So far, these calls have gone unanswered.

We need this investment to future-proof our hospital.

I will not let this drop