(2) what plans his Department has to develop Royston Hospital in the same way as Hertford County Hospital; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what estimate the NHS has made of the number of patients in the catchment area for Hertford County Hospital;
(4) what assessment the NHS has made of the number of patients in the catchment area for Royston Hospital; to what extent this includes patients from Cambridge and Essex in addition to Hertfordshire patients; and if he will make a statement.
This is a matter for the local national health service. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure that NHS services provided locally meet the needs of the populations that they serve.
We understand that the two Hertfordshire PCTs have recently concluded a formal consultation on the future of health services in Hertfordshire as a whole. The next phase is for the project team to collate and analyse all the comments received in response to the consultation. The findings will be presented to both PCT boards in December this year.