NEW proposals from the county's hospital trust could see a £20 million investment in Redditch's Alexandra Hospital.

Funding bids to be submitted by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to the Department for Health & Social Care could see the Alex get a huge £20 million boost.

It would go toward making the Emergency Department bigger and an additional SDEC (same day emergency care) assessment space.

At a recent meeting between senior management of the acute trust and Worcestershire MPs, the proposals to be put to the department include:

• Expansion of the Emergency Department at Worcestershire Royal Hospital

• Creation of additional SDEC assessment space

• Creation of a designated Paediatric Emergency Department

• A new diagnostic facility and a larger stroke ward

• Introduction of a Digital Care Record as part of the new ambitious digital strategy adopted by the acute trust.

• Expansion of the Emergency Department and additional SDEC assessment space at Alexandra Hospital in Redditch

These proposals would see an additional capital investment of £60 million for Worcestershire Royal Hospital, £20 million for Alexandra Hospital, and £22 million for the Digital Care Record.

This would be on top of the £29 million capital funding to address capacity issues and deliver more beds at the Worcestershire Royal site.

Two new wards are to be opened next month, and a further ward in June 2020 – resulting in an increase of 51 additional adult beds.

Chief executive of the trust, Matthew Hopkins, said the proposals were still in the planning stage, but they would provide a vital service.

He said: "We have requested additional capital funding to offset some of the costs, and the associated impact on our revenue budgets.

"Some of the other funding bids are still in the planning and development stage, but are designed to help address the long-standing mismatch between demand for urgent care and the capacity to provide that care for patients across the Worcestershire health and care system."

News of the funding bids coincides with the Government’s NHS Funding Bill 2020, which received its second reading in the House of Commons this week, and once passed will see a £33.9 billion increase in NHS funding.