Sir Mike Penning, Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead and long-time campaigner for a new hospital on a new site, has written an open letter to the Comptroller and Auditor General at the National Audit Office. He has sent copies to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Sir Mike says the Trust has ignored the Prime Minister’s vision for a new hospital and instead is intent on rebuilding the existing Watford General Hospital.

The scale of the Trust’s proposals at Watford has grown significantly in the past year from 80,000 square metres floor space to 120,000, culminating in plans for three tower blocks of up to 18 storeys. This would make Watford the fourth tallest NHS structure in the UK and the tallest outside London.

Experts from the New Hospital Campaign, which Sir Mike fully supports, have estimated that this would cost in excess of £900 million – which excludes the minimum works that the Trust plans to do in Hemel Hempstead and St Albans. This is more than two and a half times the Trust’s annual turnover and exceeds the £540 million limit set by the Government.

The recent Outline Planning Application submitted to Watford Borough Council shows a timeline well into 2027 or 2028.

The Trust has ignored the principles set out in the Treasury’s guidance on how to appraise and evaluate projects, the ‘Green Book’. The Green Book sets out Critical Success Factors that large public investment projects need to meet. The Trust’s plans fail on affordability, value for money and timeline.

Sir Mike said:

“It is well known that I support local campaigners who are campaigning for a new hospital on a new site to serve all three local towns – Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans. Not only is this common sense and fair from an access point of view, but it is also the only option that could satisfy the Prime Minister’s objective of a new hospital delivered by 2026.

“We know it can be done, other areas have done it.

“I am very concerned that, the Trust is proposing to overspend public money on a three-tower block monstrosity, in order to fulfil some obligation that they refuse to divulge. This is our money they are spending, and they need to put the interests of the people of the whole of West Hertfordshire first and foremost.

“In my view, both effective healthcare and value for money are seriously at risk. That is why I have asked the National Audit Office to investigate.”