It was great to visit the ongoing redevelopment of the A&E Department at Great Western Hospital along with North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson last Friday. It is a huge expansion inside in terms of space and quality of facilities.
Designed by the clinicians from the department, this will be a state-of-the-art experience for all of us who use A&E in the future, with dedicated rooms and much more space for more patients to be treated quickly. Alongside the Urgent Treatment Centre opened in 2022, this will mean a comprehensive service at GWH for all types of patients.
The new A&E Department will also mean a release of more space for other facilities within the hospital site.
That's as a result of the Conservative government investment of £26m, which is the biggest single investment in the hospital's history, and it is going to be open later this year. This comes on top of the £18.4m government investment in the new Radiotherapy Centre at the GWH site.
I'm proud to have campaigned to make this happen along with Justin Tomlinson MP. Thanks to the Conservative government, GWH is being transformed.
Lots of local residents talk to me about the importance of youth services, so I am delighted that the government has given Swindon another massive vote of confidence from our Conservative Government with nearly £4 million from the Youth Endowment Fund. Working with Swindon Borough Council, the money will be spent on expanding youth services at the Lyndhurst Centre in Park North. This is great news for our local community and another win for Swindon.
Since first becoming Member of Parliament for South Swindon back in 2010, I have worked closely with Swindon Carers Centre, so I was delighted to be present for the unveiling of a plaque at Christ Church Community Centre in Old Town on Saturday. The plaque thanks and honours all of our Swindon carers and young carers here in the town, and is all thanks to Cllr Barbara Parry, Mayor of Swindon, and former Mayor, Cllr Kevin Parry. With special thanks also to Rev Canon Simon Stevenette, Vicar of Swindon.
Following on, as part of my ongoing charity support scheme, it seems more than appropriate to make Swindon Carers Centre my Charity of the Week. This wonderful charitable organisation provides a wide range of support and services to the 18,315 unpaid carers here in Swindon.
Swindon Carers Centre works in partnership with other organisations, including local NHS services, Swindon Borough Council’s Adult Social Care and Children’s Services and other local voluntary organisations, to identify as many carers as possible and provide them with the support they need in their caring situation.
Swindon Carers Centre is a lifeline to so many people here in the town, and I am proud to join them at their annual event to mark Carers Rights Day each year, as well as other events, such as the annual ‘Walk A Mile in Their Shoes’ event. This is a mile walk around the town to mark the huge amount of work carried out by our carers every day, the unpaid contribution that they make to Swindon, and the huge value they add to our town. I am regularly campaigning in Parliament on carers’ issues, raising them with the Government and I am proud to work closely with Swindon Carers Centre.
