People across Hampshire and the surrounding areas are being asked how they would like to receive information and provide feedback on potential changes to hospital services. 
The results will inform public consultation plans for the Hampshire Together: Modernising our Hospitals and Health Services programme, which is expected to consult on proposals for change later this year.
“It’s really important we make information about our proposals as widely available and as accessible as we can,” said Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals, which runs Andover War Memorial Hospital, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester.
“We know that people like to receive and respond to information in different ways, whether that is via leaflets and videos or public meetings and drop-in exhibitions. Getting a sense of people’s preferences will help us to tailor the range of information and activities we offer during our consultation. This is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic as we find our normal ways of receiving information and engaging in our local communities are different.”
The Hampshire Together programme was set up in response to the New Hospital Programme as part of the Government’s Health Infrastructure Plan, which named north and mid Hampshire as one of the areas to benefit from funding to build 40 new facilities before 2030.
It includes the potential for the construction of a brand-new hospital, with health and care partners working together to develop health, wellbeing and care services, that provide everyone across north and mid Hampshire with access to high-quality, timely and sustainable hospital services as close to home as possible. More information about the programme can be found at www.hampshiretogether.nhs.uk.
Dr Matt Nisbet, clinical lead for business and partnerships at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Partnership of CCGs, said: “It’s an exciting programme for everyone in north and mid Hampshire – and we really want to make sure as many local people as possible are aware of the consultation and have sufficient, easily accessible and available information in a range of formats to be able to tell us their views during our public consultation later this year. This work will help to ensure that.”
Visit https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HampshireTogetherSurvey to take part in the online survey, which will close 5pm on Thursday 24 March 2021.
