The Taunton and Wellington Liberal Democrats have launched a petition calling for the redevelopment of Musgrove Park Hospital’s maternity and paediatric facilities to be brought forward, following findings about the condition of the existing buildings.
The petition comes after the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation highlighted significant problems with the Musgrove Park estate, including leaking roofs and poor temperature control.
The review also heard that two recovery rooms on the labour ward had been taken out of use during wet weather, while an antenatal ward ceiling was being supported by metal poles.
Parts of the Musgrove Park estate date back to the 1940s, while its maternity and paediatric facilities are among the areas earmarked for replacement through the New Hospital Programme.
However, delays to the programme mean the wider redevelopment is not currently expected to be completed until the 2040s, prompting calls for the maternity and paediatric scheme to be prioritised.
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has undertaken interim works to address some of the problems affecting the existing facilities, including roof repairs and other infrastructure improvements.
Over the past decade, the Trust has sought to address the ageing estate through an £87m transformation project, with plans for a new surgical centre, acute assessment hub, therapies department and maternity refurbishments.
Kier was appointed in 2021 to deliver a new surgical centre at Musgrove Park Hospital.
ModuleCo also completed an ophthalmic operating theatre suite at the hospital in 2021, while Ergéa UK delivered a refurbished nuclear medicine unit earlier this year.
However, the Trust has acknowledged the continued need to replace other parts of the ageing estate.
The Liberal Democrat campaign is calling on the Government to accelerate funding and delivery of the new maternity and paediatric facilities, so that the replacement scheme can progress ahead of the wider Musgrove Park redevelopment.
