The situation is impossible to ignore: St Helier’s A&E is at breaking point.
Last year alone, thousands of local people waited over 12 hours to be seen at St Helier’s Emergency Department. That is not something we should accept in a 21st century healthcare system. I saw it myself, watching as an elderly relative was left for hours lying on the floor of A&E.
For many patients, being treated in corridors has become routine. There’s no privacy, no dignity, and often no space for families to be alongside their loved ones when they are most needed.
At the same time, NHS staff are being pushed to their absolute limits, working tirelessly in conditions that make their already demanding jobs harder and more stressful than they should ever be.
This is not a reflection on the dedication or professionalism of the staff at St Helier. On the contrary, it is a testament to their daily commitment and determination that services continue at all. The problem is capacity – and it has been building for years.
Residents were promised relief through a new hospital building as part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme. But the plans have been delayed again and again – first by the previous Conservative government and now by the current Labour one. Patients and staff at St Helier simply cannot wait years for help to arrive.
That is why I am calling on the Government to take one urgent, practical step now: extend St Helier’s A&E immediately.
I am in regular contact with the hospital’s management team, and they are clear that this is their single biggest priority.
An A&E extension is achievable, deliverable, and would make an immediate difference. It would allow patients to be seen more quickly, end corridor care, and create a safer, more dignified environment for everyone.
This demand is not instead of campaigning for a new building, but to enable St Helier to survive until we get there. We understand there may be a pot of funding available from the Government to fund this sort of thing across the country and we believe we should be right at the top of the list.
I have launched a petition calling on the Government to act now and fund an extension to St Helier’s A&E. I would urge residents who agree that enough is enough to add their name and make their voice heard.
When we speak as one, change becomes harder to ignore. With collective pressure and a clear, achievable demand, we can secure the urgent action St Helier Hospital needs – not in five or ten years’ time, but now.
Bobby Dean MP is Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton & Wallington