Conquest Hospital in St Leonards to benefit from share of £100m, prime minister Boris Johnson confirms

On Wednesday (January 29), Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the £100m would be used to redevelop the Conquest in St Leonards and its sister hospital, the DGH in Eastbourne.

However East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT), which runs both hospitals, said the sum of money, which was previously announced last September, will be shared across 21 hospital trusts in the UK.

Mr Johnson made the remark during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in Parliament today in response to a question by Hastings and Rye MP, Sally-Ann Hart.

In the Commons, she said: “With our Prime Minister’s vision, this Conservative Government have an incredible opportunity to deliver change by driving forward the levelling up of parts of the country that have lagged behind London. Will the Prime Minister confirm that beautiful Hastings and Rye will not be overlooked in the process of levelling up, and that the necessary investment will be made in our transport infrastructure, education and health to unleash our bags of talent and potential?”

In response, Mr Johnson said: “I can confirm that the infrastructure revolution will penetrate all the way to Hastings and Rye, and across the whole country. There will be an additional £100 million for the redevelopment of the Conquest Hospital and Eastbourne District General Hospital, which I know will be of benefit to my honourable Friend’s constituents.”

A spokesman for ESHT said: “We can confirm both Conquest Hospital and Eastbourne District General Hospital are on a list of 40 hospitals in the Health Infrastructure Plan.

“We are working closely with colleagues at NHS England and NHS Improvement on an investment of around £500m in the hospitals over the next decade.

“In late September the Government did announce East Sussex Healthcare was one of 21 hospital trusts to receive a share of £100m in seed funding to develop plans for major hospital projects.”