THE highly anticipated return of the Garden Suite to Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital will not happen until 2024, it has been confirmed.

Bosses at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have said due to several developments planned at the Alex which require internal moves of wards and departments, the Garden Suite will not be back in Redditch until early 2024.

There was concern that the Garden Suite’s temporary relocation could have been made permanent after health bosses said they were exploring the option.

This resulted in Redditch MP, Rachel Maclean, launching a petition, signed by more than 8,000, residents, which called for the service to be returned to the Alex.

Ms Maclean announced back in February she had secured commitment from the trust to return the ambulatory chemotherapy service to the Alex following its relocation to Kidderminster during the pandemic.

Redditch Advertiser: Alexandra Hospital. Alexandra Hospital. (Image: Newsquest.)

Seven months on, trust bosses have told the MP that finding a suitable location at the Alex for the Garden Suite has proved ‘challenging’ but they have identified ‘a likely location’.

However, the location won’t be available until work on an endoscopy development and the creation of a new threat assessment unit is completed.

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“We have a number of exciting developments planned at the Alexandra Hospital following the Acute Service Review.

“To accommodate these new developments, we will have to undertake a number of internal moves of wards and departments within the hospital site.

 “To enable all of these moves to take place, the area that has been identified for the Garden Suite to move into at Alexandra Hospital won’t be available until early 2024.

Redditch Advertiser: Kidderminster Hospital. Kidderminster Hospital. (Image: Newsquest.)

“However, we remain absolutely committed to returning the Garden Suite to the Alexandra Hospital from its current temporary base at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre.”

Rachel Maclean said she is very disappointed and is urging the trust to rethink their plan.

“I am incredibly disappointed, to put it mildly, to have been told by the trust that the Garden Suite won’t be back at the Alex until early 2024,” said Ms Maclean.

“I know my constituents will be frustrated. There is already a deep mistrust in Redditch of local health bosses, and this news won’t do anything to change that.

“They won’t believe the Garden Suite will be returned to the Alex until they see it, and frankly neither will I.

“Almost every week I hear from constituents who are still having to travel to Kidderminster for their chemotherapy treatment. Forcing them to make this journey for another year simply isn’t good enough.”

Ms Maclean added: “Given there are mobile MRI and CT scanners on-site at the Alex, as well as the mobile operating theatre, why can’t ambulatory chemotherapy be provided in a temporary facility at the Alex until its permanent home is available?

“That’s a question I have put to health bosses and I’m waiting for their answer.

“The trust must think outside the box to get the Garden Suite back at the Alex as soon as possible.”