Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport today welcomed good news that Derriford Hospital will receive more than £2million to upgrade parts of the Emergency Department. However, the Labour MP stated this amount isn’t the full amount Derriford requires for a full refurbishment and pledged to continue campaigning to ensure it gets the funds it needs.

The £2 million upgrade will be used to improve facilities for children and adults visiting as emergency patients and their families. 

Luke Pollard MP said:

“NHS staff in the Emergency Department are real life heroes for our city every day and every night. It is only right that they have the first-class facilities that match their dedication and professionalism. The £2m upgrade will help this winter but it isn’t the full refurbishment and investment the hospital and I have been calling for and so the campaign for that funding will continue. I’ve spent a shift with staff on a busy Saturday night in the ED and I know that the facilities don’t have the capacity a hospital as busy as Derriford needs. This £2m upgrade is a good step forward and it is welcome but the lobbying must continue to ensure that Derriford gets the Emergency Department facilities we need and rightly deserve.”

“I’ve written to the Minister about the urgent need for a full refurbishment and expansion of Derriford’s Emergency Department in the past and I’ll redouble efforts now to ensure that the £2m investment is not the end of the funding, but the start. Of course, we also need proper action to address the GP and social care crisis in Plymouth. This really is a case of needing both, not just action on one.”