HEALTH Secretary Matt Hancock has pledged Worcestershire will receive its fair share from the £20billion NHS funding boost.

The news comes after the Health Secretary visited Worcestershire Royal Hospital earlier this month.

Redditch MP Rachel Maclean and MP for Worcester, Robin Walker, met with the Health Secretary and the leadership team from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT) to discuss the ongoing challenges facing the trust.

During their meeting with the trust’s leadership team, Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of WAHT, reaffirmed his determination to end the long ambulance waits and patients being treated in corridors.

It was also discussed how the opening of 19 acute beds at the Alexandra Hospital and a 28-acute bed ward at Worcestershire Royal was helping the trust to improve patient flow.

Rachel said: “It was important the Health Secretary came to Worcestershire to see for himself the serious challenges facing our local health services. The Worcestershire Royal treats people from Redditch and so plays an important role in the healthcare my constituents receive.

“It was particularly reassuring to hear Matt say there is a clear case for Worcestershire to receive its fair share of the £20billion funding boost for the NHS. As I’ve said before, I’ll be doing everything I can to fight for this money for Redditch's Alex Hospital.

“I hope my constituents are in no doubt that the Alex and local health services remain my absolute top priority – and bringing the Health Secretary to Worcestershire is a clear sign of that.

"My focus is on improving the care my constituents receive, whether that’s at the Worcestershire Royal or the Alex. An improved Worcestershire Royal will result in better healthcare for the people of Redditch too."

She added: “The whole trust, including the Alex, isn’t performing as well as it should be and the root cause is lack of capacity at Worcester. This situation is improving though with new beds opening at the Worcestershire Royal and at the Alex."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I know the hospital faces particular challenges and we’ve been working to ensure it has the support it needs.

“But as well as underlining our support for the staff and the new leadership, I wanted to see for myself the work that’s going in to turn this trust around.

“Rachel, Robin and the other Worcestershire MPs have been campaigning tirelessly to improve local healthcare provision and I’ll continue working with them and the NHS team to help ensure Worcestershire gets the health service it deserves.”