Hospital rebuild dominates contest for Norfolk seat

Parts of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn are being held up by metal props to prevent them collapsing

The state of the Queen Elizabeth hospital in King's Lynn is a key issue for many in the North West Norfolk constituency. But while all of the candidates vying for the seat say it needs to be rebuilt, they do not all agree on the details.

Currently held up by props, the hospital was told a year ago by the government that it would be rebuilt.

But since then, progress has been slow and some have voiced concern that the project deadline for a brand new facility by 2030 might not be met.

Students at the College of West Anglia in King's Lynn say the future of the hospital is a key concern for them.

Apprentice engineer R J worries patients and staff are being put at risk.

Among those voicing concerns was engineering student R J.

The 19-year-old says he thinks the health facility should be a priority for whoever wins the North West Norfolk seat should be the hospital.

"Healthcare is such a big issue and with the way the NHS has been going I do feel like it's very under-funded and healthcare is a big thing it’s going to catch up with all of us at some point," he says.

"At the QE, the roof’s been collapsing for a fair while.

"It’s quite dodgy when you’ve got patients coming in and out of the hospital knowing that the infrastructure of the hospital is not as stable as you’d like it to be," he says.

Conservative James Wild had a majority of 19,922 in the previous election

James Wild, the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservatives, will be defending the seat for the first time since his election in 2019.

Mr Wild says it was his work which has led to the Queen Elizabeth being listed for a rebuild.

"That’s been the priority that I’ve had since being elected and I’ve secured a commitment to deliver a hospital by 2030," he says.

"But the Labour Party position is that they would review all of those schemes. That puts the project at risk."

Labour says his suggestion is not true and that the party has committed to building the hospital within the same timescale as the Conservatives.

Labour Candidate for the seat Tim Leaver says 'people are ready for change'

Businessman Tim Leaver is standing for Labour.

He says the Conservatives cannot be trusted to deliver a new hospital.

"It was identified as a building that was going to be replaced in 2019, it was one of the 40," he says.

"We're still waiting for the start of the work for the new hospital and amazingly it's now in the Tory manifesto again this time as one of the 45 new hospitals they're hoping to build.

"I think residents are very concerned about getting on with the job."

Lib Dem Rob Colwell says as a lawyer he's used to standing up for people

Standing for the Liberal Democrats in the seat is Rob Colwell, a local councillor and lawyer based in King's Lynn.

He says since being selected to stand in January he has knocked on more than 7,000 doors.

"People are telling me stories about how they can’t get an NHS dentist [and] that they’re waiting hours for an ambulance to turn up," Mr Colwell says. "People say that they can’t see their GP or they are waiting for weeks.

"It just feels like the whole system is broken and that’s before I even start to talk about our Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

"There’s been no movement. They haven’t even started the car park."

Green candidate Michael de Whalley says parties should work together on the QEH

Green Party candidate and local councillor Michael de Whalley shares those concerns, particularly when it comes to the staff working in the building.

"That rebuild is desperately needed as soon as possible. 2030 is an awfully long time to be working in a hospital that is propped up and the staff are looking up and wondering is that roof going to hold another six years?"

Reform UK candidate Phil Walton is calling for "fundamental reform" of the health service

Phil Walton, the Reform UK candidate for the seat, says the problems with the health system went beyond a single hospital.

"There needs to be fundamental reform, with mental health too."

He also says dental care was a further issue frequently raised him with on the campaign trail.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust says it the rebuild would be completed on time.

Paul Brooks, the trust's director of estates and facilities, says: “Our deadline for the New QEH to be open and ready for patients is 2030 and we continue to work very closely with the national New Hospital Programme team to achieve this.

"Our team is working hard on a robust plan and we have a clear roadmap to deliver a new hospital in this timeframe."

A full list of the candidates standing can be found here