Healthcare services in Stockport could be radically transformed after plans to build a new £500m hospital have been unveiled
The proposal comes at a time of incredible investment within Stockport that is transforming the face of the town centre for the better.
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital in the town, has announced it will be bidding for Stockport to have one of the 40 new hospitals which will be built as part of a £3.7bn Government programme.
The New Hospitals Programme aims to build the new hospitals by 2030 and has already announced 32 new build projects. It is now looking for a further eight projects, and Stockport is hoping to be one of them.
While the final design will influence the cost of any new build, it is estimated the government would need to invest around £500m in the creation of a new hospital for the people of Stockport and surrounding areas.
With no room on the existing site to build a new hospital the Trust has been working with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council to identify possible alternative sites as part of their shared priority of improving the health of Stockport residents and is currently looking at an area of the town centre that incorporates the Heaton Lane multi-storey car park and former Debenhams store.
While a number of NHS organisations across the country will also be bidding to be part of the New Hospitals Programme, it is hoped that Stockport’s plan will stand out due to the town centre site which would tie into the Government’s levelling up agenda.
Ensuring health care is accessible for all Stockport residents
Karen James, OBE, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Stepping Hill Hospital has served the people of Stockport and surrounding areas well since it opened in 1905, but all hospital buildings reach the end of their useful lives.
“Stepping Hill Hospital is an ageing hospital that was not designed to deliver modern acute services and we are also facing a £95m maintenance bill. But even if we had the funds available to carry out all the work needed, it still would not provide the modern hospital environment patients and staff deserve.
“We know that many of our patients, visitors and staff, particularly those living in outlying areas, don’t find it easy to get to Stepping Hill Hospital.
“The proposed town centre site is close to key transport hubs and would also allow us, as a major employer in the town, to play our part in the exciting regeneration of Stockport.”
Elise Wilson, leader of Stockport Council, added: “Stockport is changing. We are a borough with a big heart and big ambition.
“We are looking at every opportunity to improve the lives of our residents and the quality of health care provision in Stockport.
“We are proud to be working with the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust to put forward an ambitious bid to develop new state of the art hospital facilities, along with improved connectivity, in and around our town centre.”
