Last week, Cheadle MP Tom Morrison, Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart, and Leader of Stockport Council Cllr Mark Roberts handed in a petition at 10 Downing Street, signed by 6,123 local residents. The petition demands urgent repairs for Stepping Hill Hospital and a long-term strategy for a modern, centrally located healthcare facility in Stockport.
The petition calls on the Department of Health to address the hospital’s £130 million repair backlog. Years of underinvestment have left parts of the facility condemned, corridors flooded, and ceiling fixtures falling in clinical areas. In addition to immediate repairs, campaigners demand a new, additional medical site in central Stockport, located near the transport interchange, to secure the long-term sustainability of local NHS services.
Lisa Smart MP, who recently met with Health Minister Karin Smyth about the future of the hospital, said:
“Residents are rightly worried about the state of Stepping Hill, and I’ve heard from hundreds of people about the profound impact the hospital’s condition is having on them and their families. I raised those concerns directly with the Minister in our recent meeting and was heartened by her willingness to engage. But warm words aren’t enough, we now need concrete action, both to fix the hospital in the short term and to deliver a second site in the longer term. The community has spoken, 6,123 signatures strong, and the Government must now listen.”
Tom Morrison MP said:
“Over 6,000 people have backed this petition because they’ve seen first-hand how badly Stepping Hill is struggling. I’ve spoken to staff working in flooded wards and patients worried about safety in ageing buildings. This petition is a clear sign that our community is united, we need urgent funding for critical repairs, and we need a long-term plan for the future. The Liberal Democrats will keep fighting until we see action.”
Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of Stockport Council, added:
“The situation at Stepping Hill is simply not sustainable. Our amazing NHS staff are doing everything they can in crumbling and unsafe buildings, it’s not fair on them, and it’s not fair on patients. We need urgent repairs now, but we also need to plan for the future. That means securing investment for a modern, centrally located healthcare facility near Stockport Interchange to meet the needs of our growing community. Residents from across Stockport including Cheadle, Hazel Grove, Bramhall, Bredbury, Offerton, Marple, and beyond deserve it. Today’s petition hand-in shows just how determined our community is to see change.”
The petition campaign has garnered widespread support from residents across the Borough, including communities in Stockport, Cheadle, Hazel Grove, Bredbury, Marple, and surrounding areas. The Liberal Democrats remain committed to pushing the Government until both the immediate repairs and a long-term strategy for local NHS services are delivered.
Local MP Lisa Smart was hopeful on future improvements to Stepping Hill Hospital, and the potential for delivering a future second site, following a meeting with Health Minister Karin Smyth.
Stockport MPs Tom Morrison and Lisa Smart have challenged the Government to show where capital funding for Stepping Hill Hospital is going, after receiving a letter referencing £11.5 million in funding, but no information on what it is being used for.
The failure to include Stepping Hill Hospital on the New Hospitals Programme – despite the looming £130 million repair bill – has been challenged by local MPs Lisa Smart and Tom Morrison in a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
Liberal Democrat MPs Lisa Smart (Hazel Grove) and Tom Morrison (Cheadle) have called the dropping of the government’s pledge to meet the A&E four hour waiting time target by the end of the Parliament an “insult to patients”.
Stockport MPs Lisa Smart and Tom Morrison have written to Health Minister Karin Smyth to get details of whether extra repairs funding for the NHS announced in the Budget will be spent at Stepping Hill
Local Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart has said the extra funding for the NHS announced in the Budget must deliver the urgently needed repairs at Stepping Hill.
The desperate situation at Stepping Hill Hospital must be addressed in next week’s budget, say Stockport MPs Lisa Smart and Tom Morrison.
The latest NHS data has emphasized the crisis in Stepping Hill Hospital and across the NHS in the borough, with a total of £59.1million repairs required – of which £23.3 million are high risk or significant risk.
Lisa Smart MP took the opportunity to raise uncertainty around funding for Stepping Hill at the Chancellor’s question time in Parliament yesterday
MPs Tom Morrison and Lisa Smart have written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting to ensure that a promise for urgent funding for Stepping Hill is not derailed by the Government’s funding black hole.
The desperate state of Stepping Hill Hospital – with new videos emerging earlier this week of flooded corridors – was the top priority raised on behalf of the constituency in new MP Lisa Smart’s maiden speech to Parliament yesterday [25/07/2024].
Government promises funding in response to MPs’ pressure … details of funding and timing still needed.
Plan needed immediately after damage to ICU and demolition of Outpatients B Department
