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Last push for town hospital campaign
BICESTER'S MP met with campaigners on Saturday as they prepare for a final push to get their preferred location for the new town hospital.
Town MP Tony Baldry met with Les Sibley, chairman of the Save Our Community Hospital (SOCH) campaign, as he collected petition signatures and gave out information at a stall in Crown Walk.
SOCH is calling on local people to send letters and emails to NHS Oxfordshire before a business case for the new hospital is finalised
in two weeks' time.
Three locations are under consideration: the existing site in
Kings End; the SOCH campaign's preferred site on the new Kingsmere estate in south-west Bicester; and a newly-identified site in London Road.
Mr Sibley said: "This is it. The next couple of weeks will be the
final opportunity, and will be absolutely crucial if we want to influence the outcome of the hospital location.
"There are three sites, of which the south-west location is the best option for Bicester."
At the end of last week, Mr Baldry had a letter from the new health minister Simon Burns confirming local health chiefs' commitment to the new hospital project.
The letter also indicated national plans to abolish primary care trusts should not affect the new hospital.
Mr Baldry said it was very good news if work on the community hospital is now set to start late next year.
Once the drafting of the businesscase is finished by the end of this month, the plans should be presented to the NHS Oxfordshire board on September 23.
But Mr Sibley said he felt the case presented to the board could
be skewed in favour of the existing site in Kings End, as it had always
been the preferred location for previous bids to create a new hospital.
"I'm afraid they're going to use the existing site as a business model. I'm arguing for a business case to be presented for each of the three sites, otherwise it will be very misleading," said Mr Sibley.
Mr Sibley also questioned whether the newly-identified plot on London Road, which he said was the former Claypits allotments site, was a realistic option.
Tony Burrage, project manager for the Bicester Hospital project said: "We are working hard scoring the three sites currently identified. All three sites are legitimate options and are being carefully considered.
"Each site has its merits - they all offer significant opportunities. These need to be thoroughly considered as we work on the outline business case which will be submitted to the NHS Oxfordshire Board in September."
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Weather for Buckingham
Monday 13 February 2012
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