Anne Main, has warmly welcomed today’s announcement by the West Herts Hospital NHS Trust (WHHT) that the Board have agreed to invest almost £1million into St Albans City Hospital.

Anne said, ‘I very much welcome today’s announcement. I was pleased that when I recently met with Jac Kelly and Antony Tiernan they confirmed that there was going to be investment in St Albans City Hospital and that there will be a facility on all three sites.’

£700,000 is being spent to move and upgrade the ward where patients are cared for after their surgery. This includes opening a number of high dependency beds, which means the unit can treat a greater number of patients, including patients with conditions that previously could not be catered for. Work on this phase is already underway and is due to be completed by June.

£200,000 will be spent on building a new centralised admissions lounge where patients go prior to having their day surgery. This includes pre-assessment clinics, which help reduce the number of cancelled operations. Work is due to start in May.

‘This is good news - I’ve been pressing for improved facilities for some time now. I am pleased that the Trust has listened to my concerns and those of my constituents. I was very clear in my meetings with the hospital that we must, at the very least, keep what we’ve got, and hopefully have enhanced services on the St Albans site.

‘We now have confidence in the future of St Albans City Hospital and this should allay any fears and rumours of a closure.

‘I will continue to make the case for an urgent care centre and other enhanced facilities.’