Community Hospitals

Mr. Stephen O'Brien
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the £750 million she made available for capital spending on community hospitals has been drawn down; and by which organisations.

Andy Burnham
To date £44.5 million has been allocated to four primary care trusts (PCTs) . The schemes that we are funding are:

the Washington Primary Care Centre, Sunderland PCT;

Gosport War Memorial Hospital, Hampshire PCT ;

the Yate Community Health Centre, South Gloucestershire PCT; and

the West Somerset Healthy Living Park, Somerset PCT.

Arrangements are being made for the funds to be drawn down.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she makes the final decision on the closure of community hospitals and cottage hospitals; and what record is kept of such decisions.

Andy Burnham
Decisions on national health service reconfigurations are taken by local NHS organisations following appropriate public consultation with local stakeholders, which include the overview and scrutiny committees (OSC) of local authorities.

Where an OSC believes that a proposal to close a hospital is not in the interests of the local health service it can refer the matter to the Secretary of State, who may make a final decision on the proposal.

The Department only maintains a record of decisions relating to service reconfiguration proposals that have been formally referred to the Secretary of State by an OSC.