CRANLEIGHVILLAGE HOSPITAL
Thank you for helping us to help you.

NHS Surrey’s Public Meeting 27th October 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Glebelands School, Cranleigh

When Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust embarked on an ambitious project to replace the 150 year old cottage hospital 10 years ago, it recognised that it faced a major challenge.

As Primary Care Trusts responsible for delivering healthcare have come and gone, CVHT has battled on (a) to save the old hospital’s 14 beds and (b) provide beds in a state of the art new health campus in two buildings to include a GP surgery on a 3.5 acre site in Knowle Lane.

CVHT has always said: “The difficult it would do at once – the impossible would take a little longer.” Said a Trust spokesman Kay Newnham “It has certainly taken us longer than we had hoped, but we just may be on the last lap, the next few weeks are critical.”

Despite the efforts of CVHT and its partners, Cranleigh Parish Council and The League of Friends to keep the beds open (at a cost of £125,000); the beds have been closed since 2006, albeit temporarily for financial reasons and following a consultation which was subsequently found by independent health officials to be flawed. Another round of public consultations, including a recommendation to close the beds permanently, started last month with a decision in December/January.

CVHT fully endorses Surrey NHS Trust’s decision to make changes to the way healthcare is delivered in Guildford & Waverley, and its decision to commission beds in Cranleigh, albeit fewer than before. It welcomes its assurances that a new health centre will be provided whichever site is chosen. However, the Trust believes all these services should be provided in custom built facilities on its Knowle Lane site, and beds should not be scattered around local nursing homes.

• To demolish the old Cranleigh Hospital buildings (but not the listed cottage) and the new Day Hospital that was built by public subscription on donated land in 1976, and the surrounding buildings. A new health centre would then be built on the old hospital site and the GPs would relocate into the new building. The old health centre would then be demolished and a new outpatient’s clinic would be built on the old health centre site. Planning and other permissions would be required to achieve this.

• To commission 6 to 8 beds in nursing homes as near to Cranleigh as possible.

• To design, build and commission a new health centre and outpatient’s clinic on the Knowle Lane site. The site would also accommodate a new “Cranleigh hospital” to include nursing home beds, where the 6/8 hospital beds could be commissioned by the NHS and which could allow for further NHS beds in the future.

• CVHT has planning permission, building regulations, site surveys, drawings etc, and Government and highways approval, (costing CVHT £170,000) to provide a new health centre and a new hospital on land in Knowle Lane and work could begin almost immediately.

• There would be no disruption to existing services, or high street traffic, and all services would transfer seamlessly to the new building(s).

• CVHT would provide financial and professional expertise to provide a state of the art hospital facility. The building would be sited for ease of access from Cranleigh Car Parks including Stocklund Square, and Village Way, be close to public transport links, and relieve pressure on Village Way. Ancillary and disabled parking.

• Together with its parish council partner the Trust project includes a land exchange to provide more than 8 acres of extra playing fields for future generations of sportspeople. (£60,000 has already been spent on preparation) on the grounds adjacent to the hospital site in Knowle Lane.

• The project allows for considerable expansion to meet the area’s future needs, the old historic buildings would remain and CVHT will not lose sight of its goal to provide a Minor Injuries Unit.

• The beds will be provided in a modern “Cranleigh Hospital” with nursing home beds to meet the area’s ageing population.

CVHT welcomes the NHS proposals which will bring a much needed new health centre and outpatients clinic to the village. CVHT believes using its site will be faster, cheaper and make it possible to maintain the existing services during the years of building and commissioning. It also believes its site will deliver wider benefits to the community in the future and provide for future expansion.

CVHT is involved in detailed discussions with the PCT regarding its proposals and is hopeful of a positive outcome.