Politicians are delighted with the news that Croydon’s £21m accident and emergency redevelopment plan has been approved by the NHS.

After being given the green light by the NHS Trust Development Authority the paperwork is now being sent to the Department of Health for approval.

HOW WE REPORTED THE NEWS EARLIER TODAY
Croydon's £21m A&E redevelopment plan approved by NHS

If it gets the go ahead then it is expected to be open by spring 2017.

Reacting to the news, Croydon North MP Steve Reed said: “It’s fantastic that the NHS has agreed plans for a brand new £21m A&E department at Croydon University Hospital.

“This is the good news local people have been desperate to hear for many years.

“Two years ago we were faced with a consultation that listed Croydon’s A&E as an option for closure or downgrading.

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Croydon North MP Steve Reed says it is fantastic news

“Earlier this year our A&E hit crisis point with ambulances queuing up outside and sick patients left for hours on trolleys in corridors.

“Together with health service staff, local residents and Labour councillors I launched a petition outside the hospital calling instead for investment to improve the service.

“That petition secured thousands of signatures within weeks showing the strength of support for the NHS in our community.

“Today’s news means we will now see the improved A&E we’ve been campaigning for and I’m sure everyone in our community will welcome that.”

Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell said: “This is another piece of great news for our borough.

“I’ve been working with the Trust to get their plans approved, talking to officials at the Department of Health and the Trust Development Authority, and I’m delighted that our efforts have paid off.

“I am very passionate about our NHS.

“My wife works for it as a speech and language therapist, it saved my life when I had cancer as a child and it gave outstanding care to my Dad when he was dying of Alzheimer’s.

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Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell is very passionate about the NHS

“Since I was elected as an MP, I have tried to pay back the debt I owe, supporting increases in the NHS budget, getting the formula the Government uses to distribute the NHS budget around the country changed so that Croydon gets a fairer deal and now securing funding for a new emergency department.

“I will continue to do everything I can to defend and improve it.”

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central, Sarah Jones, said: “I met with NHS England and Croydon Commissioning Care Group to discuss the funding proposal with Croydon North MP Steve Reed last week.

“Having a new building for our A&E department is long overdue and welcome.

“As someone who has used the existing A&E on many occasions with my children, I know how inadequate it has been for many years.

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Labour's Croydon Central candidate Sarah Jones says the news is long overdue

"This announcement comes on the day that the reputable King’s Fund said that the NHS is 'deteriorating in a way not seen since the early 1990s'.

“So even with a new A&E, our hospital will struggle to cope unless we have more staff to care for the increasing number patients, secured funding and we tackle the shortfalls in primary care."

Chris Philp, the Conservative Party candidate for Croydon South, said: "I am very passionate about our NHS. 

"Two years ago, the NHS saved my twin children's lives when they were born incredibly prematurely at 25 weeks. 

"They spent three months in an NHS neonatal intensive care unit at a London NHS hospital specialising in neonatal care.

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Chris Philp is passionate about the NHS

"The care they received was amazing and it is thanks to the NHS that they survived.

"In 2013, the Care Quality Commission found our existing emergency department at Croydon University Hospital to be badly designed, in a poor state of repair and too small to treat the current number of patients it regularly sees.

"The new department is designed to address these issues."

The Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt has welcomed the news.

He said: “It’s fantastic news that the plan for an investment of more than £21m in a new emergency department at Croydon University Hospital can now go ahead.

“Gavin Barwell has been a strong local advocate for this project – one that will bring highly advanced new urgent and emergency care capacity for the people of Croydon, and allow the hospital to provide the best possible care.

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Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt has welcomed the news

“Thanks to the tough economic decisions this Government has taken, we can continue to build a strong NHS.”