Changes to plans for new Cromer Hospital

The much tighter financial position this year and predictions of a significant reduction in the funds available to the NHS over the next five years has required the Board of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to reconsider the size of the proposed investment in the redevelopment of Cromer Hospital.

The Board remains fully committed to the redevelopment but has insisted on a significant reduction in the overall cost of the proposal to ensure that other much needed clinical developments are also still possible.

The proposed investment for Cromer has been reduced to £15 million. This will still enable the development of a hospital offering excellent modern healthcare to the people of North Norfolk.

Chairman David Prior said: “A year ago the world looked very different in economic terms and there is no doubt that the NHS will face some difficult years ahead as a direct result.

The Board is very clear that in the current economic climate we just cannot commit the sums of money we had originally envisaged for the project.

We have many competing demands, we will have to balance our resources very carefully, and that means the funds available for Cromer Hospital have had to be reduced as a result. This has been a long and arduous process but we are determined to ensure that we create a healthcare facility that is efficient and affordable not only now but in the difficult times ahead.”

The hospital team is currently developing the options for the future of Cromer Hospital based on a budget of £15 million and expects to produce options for initial consideration by the Board at its July meeting.

Sagle Bernstein legacy – In 2001, the trustees of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust received an £11.4 million legacy left to Cromer Hospital by the late Sagle Bernstein. Mrs Bernstein was a local resident and her sister had been a patient at Cromer Hospital. The value of the legacy, which is held on deposit, currently stands at £12.4 million.

Phyllis Cox legacy – In 2004, Phyllis Cox, of Bacton, also left a substantial legacy to Cromer Hospital after spending a week at Cromer Hospital back in the 1950s. The value of the Cox legacy stands at £1.3 million.