Labour leader speaks out over sewage on the wards in Harlow
Health / Mon 20th Feb 2023 at 11:27am
SEWAGE on the wards. Labour leader speaks outSewage leaking into the building at Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital has been known about for more than five years. Its one of many reasons that the need for a completely new hospital to serve Harlow’s growing population has gained support from all of the town’s political leaders.
Today we learnt that patching up the problem has worsened, there have been 40 reported sewage leaks in the buildings. Staff report that the smell of sewage remains even after the clean up of a leak. This must pose a significant health and safety risk.
Harlow’s MP Robert Halfon has campaigned for several elections on the pledge that he will deliver the much needed new hospital. Unfortunately this is looking like yet another broken promise from him. After all this time there has not even been a planning application for a new hospital. The money wasted by the Liz Truss Conservative mini budget, welcomed and supported by Halfon, would have paid for a new Princess Alexandra Hospital many times over
Robert Halfon must urgently answer the question, when will work begin on the new hospital and what will be done to ensure patients and sewage in the existing building are kept apart in the meantime?
Mark
2023-02-20 12:17:35
Where's the new hospital Conservative Robert Halfon promised? When will the potholes that the Conservatives promised to fix be filled in? Harlow's Tories are all hot air and broken promises.
Nostradamus
2023-02-20 16:52:28
The need is clear but there's enough land on the current site to start building today with new sewers. The j7a site hasn't been secured and is out of town not near the bus station and lightyears away.
David Forman
2023-02-20 17:16:56
The PAH Estate Management building services engineers, the PAH Board, the Department of Health and anyone with any sense says building on the existing site is a non-starter.
Nostradamus
2023-02-20 18:17:00
David it's no sense and ridiculous to say that: the land is there and the mains sewers are good. A high rise deveopment like St George's in Tooting where the site was still tighter and what was produced was a modern effective and efficient world class hospital. Saying that it's impossible to redevelop on the PAH current site is like saying that nothing can be built there in the future. Meanwhile inflation increases the cost by a compound 10 to 15 % every year we wait. The only no starter is the site somewhere 4.5 miles away outside of town. What's proving to be the factor blocking the project is the lack of political will.
Mark
2023-02-20 18:20:39
While you are arguing about which is the best site, the Conservatives are doing nothing about either of them. Its another broken Tory promise.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-02-20 22:34:39
In reply to David, moving to another site was the preferred option, not the only one. One of the main factors was that it would be opened earlier (2025), so much for that. The idea of a super duper hospital campus on another site is now just wishful thinking, the cost has more than doubled and with the prospect of tens of thousands more patient living in the area, a start on the existing site needs to commence tomorrow.
David Forman
2023-02-21 09:38:50
For Nicholas and Nostradamus benefit the new site is not just a new hospital, but also an adjacent med tech campus. It is also about easy access for ambulances that come in from all directions. It is about not having years of patients disrupted by building works. Plus, you have a hospital on the current site that is energy and human factors inefficient with building technology and surfaces that are decades out of date. The existing sewers are knackered and attempting to patch them up is pointless. The cost and time efficient solution is a new site.
David Vincent
2023-02-21 09:54:31
The only issue at St George's hospital Tooting were six buildings that the Trust and CQC saw as delapidated and unfit for purpose. As far as I can see it is not a total rebuild. Maybe Nostradamus could provide evidence to back his claim? https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.digitalhealth.net/2017/08/st-georges-closes-six-buildings-not-fit-purpose/&ved=2ahUKEwiPsdrkqab9AhUwS0EAHQMPBLIQFnoECDkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2YJ7_whJXcGd49u_ol64WB
Nicholas Taylor
2023-02-22 15:18:22
David, a new hospital almost in Sheering is certainly not easier to access for most users compared with the current site, which was picked because it is in the centre of town and still will be when thousands of new homes are built all around Harlow. The sewers on the present site will have to be renewed when 500+ houses are put on the site, such work is done every day across the Country. As for a med tech camp, I would remind you that the country is financially bust, we need a new hospital with more bed space etc now, not in the next decade.
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