Campaign gains momentum as Wycombe Hospital tower nears closure that would increase pressure on Stoke Mandeville

A hospital campaign group in Buckinghamshire is continuing to publicise the issues in High Wycombe, that are adding to the pressures on the emergency department in Stoke Mandeville.

Since fresh reports documented the anticipated closure of Wycombe Hospital’s tower building, the Save Wycombe Hospital Campaign said many more people have joined its Facebook page.

Buckinghamshire’s NHS Trust confirmed to the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service that the scaffolding on the tower building at Wycombe Hospital was due to come down in weeks. Also, the trust said the tower would not be fit for clinical use within the next five years.

The Save Wycombe Hospital Campaign said: “We’ve had a big influx of people joining our Facebook group. We've read comments such as it would be 'criminal' to pull down a hospital without having a replacement ready and that 'our hospital is in a perfect place'.

"There are a lot of people who are sceptical that the building can't be renovated (like other buildings of the same era have been) and continue to be used.If the building really can't be saved, then one of similar capacity should be built on Queen Alexandra road before the tower block is removed.”

The trust also told the LDRS that it had asked the government for up to £200 million to fund a new centre in High Wycombe. NHS officials believe this option is preferable to trying to revamp the current tower structure.

In reaction to the latest update from the NHS, Lisa Sanders from High Wycombe said: “Stoke is overwhelmed. They can’t cope. Wycombe people need a hospital. They can build flats everywhere but no hospital. Terrible.”

Extra beds were added to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 2023, but at times in the last four years since the pandemic, patients have described extended wait times and chaotic scenes waiting to be seen at the hospital. One patient in January of 2023, said she was left “speechless” by the conditions for patients and staff at the famous centre.

She said the hospital looked like it was coping with the aftermath of a recent disaster.