At the meeting today with Health Minister Lord Markham we once again expressed our disappointment that Doncaster Royal Infirmary had not been included in the 40 new hospitals announced by the government, despite expectations that it would be. The Minister made clear that there would be no more bids for new hospitals until 2030, with no money until 2034 at the earliest.

We stressed the urgent need for repairs to maintain patient and staff safety and to provide a hospital service that the people of Doncaster deserve. The Minister praised the efforts of those who have been putting together the bids for urgent work. He was encouraging about the £25 million needed to repair the Department of Critical Care but could not confirm whether funding would be found from capital budgets for the remaining significant sums for the East Ward Block and the Women and Children’s Block.

Whilst we welcome the potential funding to repair the Department of Critical Care we emphasised the local need for action on the remaining urgent work needed. After the huge blow of not getting a new hospital, the people of Doncaster need our existing hospital brought up to decent standards.