Buxton’s new £20m hospital bid missed out in government funding plans

In 2018 Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust bought a 3.5-acre site at the former Buxton Water plant near Buxton railway station.

Since then plans for a new £20m health hub were drawn up and approved by High Peak Borough Council to build a new hospital bringing all the local health care providers under one roof.

In 2021, Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, submitted an expression of interest to the Government’s New Hospital Programme for funding for the scheme. However, it was announced on Friday May, 26 that the funding bid was unsuccessful.

Jim Austin, chief information and transformation officer for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is disappointing our business case for the development of a new, 7,593m2 health facility in Buxton has not been included in the Government’s New Hospital Programme.

“Had we been successful, it would have provided the necessary up front multi-million pound funding to push ahead with our ambitious scheme of combining health and social care services from 11 different providers under one roof and provide a truly joined-up experience for the citizens of Buxton and the High Peak in Derbyshire.”

The full list of partner organisations who wanted to be part of the new health hub included: Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Buxton Medical Practice, Stewart Medical Centre, Elmwood Medical Centre, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, DHU Health Care and Blythe House Hospice.

Last week the secretary of state for health Steve Barclay announced the priority schemes to receive funding and Buxton was not included in the list.

And the announcement of the outcome of this unsuccessful bid requires a re-think of next steps, in consultation with all the original partners says hospital bosses.

Looking to the future Jim Austin said: “But we move on from this. Our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our community remains unwavering. We will strive to ensure we deliver the very best services to meet the evolving care needs of the people of Buxton and the wider communities across Derby and Derbyshire.

“Our focus, and that of our health and social care partners and local leaders, will now need to shift towards seeking clarity to understand what additional funding avenues and opportunities are available to us.

"We understand the importance of providing safe and effective healthcare services, and we will embark upon the challenging task of upgrading and maintaining our existing facilities to meet the needs of our patients and colleagues within the very tight financial constraints that affect us all.”“We have a strong track record of successfully delivering capital projects. We are halfway through a new development in Bakewell and are awaiting final planning permission for a new building in Belper.

"This demonstrates our commitment to improving our facilities and providing high-quality care for local people.”