| Welcome to Blueprint | Progress continues on our plans for new and refurbished hospital buildings for Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead.
Our clinical staff are working with our architect-led design team on more detailed plans for new buildings and for facilities which we intend to upgrade and refurbish.
It’s all systems go as we get ready for the next stage in the process which is set by the New Hospital Programme - more on this to follow. Plus progress on travel and access and an update on the multi-storey car park.
And – an opportunity to share your views and experiences of virtual healthcare. | | |
 | | Striving to deliver great care | | Redeveloping our buildings and transforming our services go hand in hand and together help us strive to deliver great hospital care.
Our aim is to deliver the best care we can through innovation and learning from best practice. Our clinical strategy sets out how we will continue to do this to 2026 and beyond.
To find out more, watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4te9EGcYQ7w
Or read our full clinical strategy on our website. | | | | A quick update on travel and access | | Car park update
Thank you to those who have volunteered to come to Watford General Hospital to share their views about our signage for the new multi-storey car park, which is nearing completion. It stood up to the stormy weather and is on track to open to the public in April. It will have automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and will be pay-on-exit.
All of our sites will soon have barriers and ANPR and will offer the first 30 minutes free for all parking at our sites. We will be announcing new charges shortly.
Getting greener
We have an active ‘green champions’ staff group and are already making changes to become more environmentally friendly. A major contributor to carbon emissions is from transport and so we are working hard on improving access to active travel options. This could include pleasant walking routes and cycle paths and free or subsidised bike hire / purchase. A significant percentage of staff at Watford General live relatively nearby and so we will be encouraging them to come to work under their own steam!
The environmental aspects of our plans for the Watford site will encompass pedestrian and cycle routes into and around the site as well as green spaces and landscaping within its boundaries.
We have appointed a consultancy with transport expertise who will be working with us to explore car sharing schemes, park and ride and volunteer driving schemes among other projects. | | | Join us on 10 March | On 10 March we are holding a Stakeholder Reference Group session, covering the preferred option and outline business case (OBC) process and timescales for the next steps on our journey to new and better hospital buildings for west Herts.
The OBC will establish which of the potential options offers the best value for money and demonstrate that our preferred option is deliverable and meets all key clinical requirements and national standards. It is also the document on which the New Hospital Programme and the Treasury make their funding decision.
The session will run between 12-1pm and is open to anyone. If you would like to join please make a note of the link: https://westherts-nhs-net.zoom.us/j/99637751029. | |  | | Preparing for our new pathology building | | | Work is ongoing to prepare the space for our new pathology building at the WGH site. The move from its existing location is crucial to our redevelopment plans as it will free up vital space. The new building will provide our staff with a better working environment and offer much enhanced viewing facilities for relatives of bereaved patients. | | | | Find out more about how we are transforming | As activity ramps up on the redevelopment programme, we will be holding sessions on a wide variety of topics so that you can find out more about our plans in detail, share your views and ask any questions you might have.
The first sessions will be on:
Virtual healthcare
We want to hear your views about new ways of delivering hospital care, such as video calls, using digital technology to upload your health data, or having telephone conversations instead of in-person appointments.
Join our next topic group discussion to learn more about how we are leading the field with innovative ways of delivering care, such as virtual hospitals.
If you are interested in attending the session on Friday 8 April at 12-1.30pm, email westherts.redevelopment@nhs.net.
We will be joined by Dominique Auger, Consultant Cardiologist and one of our staff leading on our virtual hospital model.
Design principles
Find out more about the principles that will underpin the design of our new buildings from the architects working on the project.
The session will be interactive and is a great opportunity to learn more about hospital design principles and share your ideas and views.
The session will be held in April.
Same day emergency care
What is same day emergency care? And why are patients not always taken to their nearest hospital site in an emergency?
We are planning a future session that will address these questions.
Find more details of these upcoming sessions in March’s Blueprint, on our social media channels and on our website. | | | The shortest route to new and better buildings | You may have read that a delegation led by Hemel Hempstead MP Sir Mike Penning met with Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in early February. They presented their proposals for a new hospital on a new site and also requested a review of the Trust’s OBC option shortlist i.e. the decision not to include any new site options within the shortlist. We are awaiting further information as to how this request may be taken forward.
We issued the following statement in response to questions from the media:-
“We’re very happy to share our rationale for ruling out a new site in favour of retaining and redeveloping our three hospitals. Our decision was driven by the need to deliver new and better buildings in the shortest timeframe possible." | |  | | Saying goodbye to our Chief Executive | | You may have seen in the news that our chief executive, Christine Allen, is due to retire in June after nearly 40 years in the NHS.
During Christine's leadership, the trust has been named as UK Best Employer (Nursing Times); achieved a ‘good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission in the ‘well led’ category; won awards for setting up the UK’s first virtual Covid hospital; opened new clinical units and has installed millions of pounds’ worth of clinical equipment.
Under her leadership we hosted a visit from the Prime Minister Boris Johnson where he pledged funding for our redevelopment plans, including major rebuilding at the Watford site and were subsequently placed in the ‘pathfinder’ priority group (also known as ‘cohort 3’) of the New Hospital Programme.
Christine will be at the helm for the next major milestone when the board approves its final preferred option at our May board meeting, which will be a meeting in public (potentially via zoom). We will let you know how you can access this in our next edition. | | | | And finally… | | Hospitals in the UK are lucky to have charities who support them. We’ve been extremely fortunate to have the League of Friends at Watford. After nearly 60 years, they have decided to call it a day, after donating hundreds of thousands of pounds, most of it raised from running refreshment outlets at Watford General. The League is signing off in style by making a six figure donation to a new appeal. Raise – the official charity of West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust – is supporting our plans to open an interventional radiology suite and is hoping to be able to fund the ‘super scanner’. This fabulous piece of kit would be moved into the new hospital building. If you’d like to find out more or donate to this appeal, please click. | | | Catch up with redevelopment news | Blueprint - You can now read past editions of the Blueprint newsletter on our website under ‘newsletters’. Share the news and get your colleagues and friends to subscribe by emailing westherts.redevelopment@nhs.net
A-Z information sheet - This document addresses frequently asked questions and the main themes from our engagement and redevelopment programme. It will be updated regularly and we will provide details of where information has been added or amended. | |
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