Member of Parliament for Runnymede & Weybridge and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Philip Hammond, visited St. Peter’s Hospital at Chertsey on Friday 4th July,  the eve of the 60th birthday of the NHS, to see for himself the progress made at the hospital.  On hand to greet him and provide a tour of the facilities were Trust Chairman Clive Thompson CBE and Chief Executive Paul Bentley.

Speaking about his local hospital Mr Hammond said: “It is clear that there is a bright future for St. Peter’s Hospital and indeed Ashford and St. Peter’s as a future NHS Foundation Trust.   I was able to see first hand the excellent A&E department including the 24 hour paediatric A&E and meet some of the dedicated staff who work there.   I have every reason to be optimistic about the future of our local hospital and congratulate all the staff on their dedication and hard work as we all celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the NHS.”

After informal discussions with Mr Thompson and Mr Bentley, Mr Hammond was shown the new Multi-faith Centre opened as part of the Trusts NHS 60th Anniversary Celebrations earlier in the week and the adult and paediatric A&E departments in the Prince Edward Wing which were only opened 10 years ago.   After meeting staff in the A&E Departments he went on to view the 1940s building on the Ramp which are being demolished to create additional car parking and the new mortuary building site which is now clearly taking shape and is due for completion in early 2009.

Said Trust Chairman, Clive Thompson, “We were very pleased to welcome Mr Hammond to St. Peter’s Hospital and discuss with him the plans we have for his local hospital and Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust.   We were able to outline future plans for the Trust and show first hand how some of these are developing.   In this the 60th Year of the NHS we are sure that both Ashford and St. Peter’s hospitals will have a central role in local healthcare for the next 60.”