Calls to bring forward hospital funding as it’s described as a “ticking time bomb”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has joined North Devon MP Ian Roome in demanding that the construction date for the North Devon District Hospital redevelopment be brought forward.

The funding would cover both a new build and refurbishments on the existing site. Plans for the new acute care block include theatres, an ICU, endoscopy unit, and women’s and children’s services.

However, the hospital funding has been pushed back to 2035 to 2038, meaning a wait of at least a decade for urgently needed investment. 

Estimates put the cost between £1 billion and £1.5 billion, though an NHS report suggests it could rise to £2 billion. 

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The hospital is now part of the Wave 3 scheme, with construction expected between 2036 and 2041.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, January 30, Mr Roome and Mr Davey pressed the Prime Minister to recognise the severe impact of the delay on families who rely on North Devon District Hospital. 

They urged the government to deliver additional maintenance funding and bring forward the construction date, which remains at least a decade away.

In October last year, Sir Ed Davey visited the hospital to tour the main operating theatres and Intensive Care Unit, both of which are approaching 50 years old and long overdue for modernisation.

The Liberal Democrats told the Gazette that these critical facilities not only fail to meet current NHS standards for a hospital of this size but are also operating over capacity.

Recent research by the Liberal Democrats found that £43,994,520 worth of repairs are currently needed at North Devon District Hospital, with 25.75 percent classified as high risk. This means failure to address them urgently could lead to serious injury or major service disruption.

Following the announcement, an open letter started by Ian Roome MP, challenging the Health Secretary to visit NDDH in person, has gathered over 5,000 signatures.

Ian Roome, who previously worked at the hospital, said: “Families across North Devon were left behind by the last government, and I am furious to see the same behaviour from this one. We cannot wait another 10 years for urgent funding to repair our hospital. It simply is not good enough.

“This funding will be lifesaving, and the predictions of what could happen if we do not rebuild and upgrade as soon as possible are terrifying. I urge the Prime Minister to recognise this. We cannot afford to be heard only when it is too late.

“The Conservative government’s promises have been nothing but empty rhetoric. The Health Secretary must come and visit our hospital to see why this project is so important.”

Sir Ed Davey added: “This community has been devastated by the news that the hospital it was promised now faces years of delay. When I visited North Devon, a surgeon described it as a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

“The Prime Minister has embraced the false economy of dither and delay. The longer this project is postponed, the more expensive it will become and patients will suffer the consequences. The government must now realise this and bring the construction dates forward.”