Statement from Noel Willcox
Branch Chair – Reform UK, Hemel Hempstead
Branch Chair – Reform UK, Hemel Hempstead
13th October 2025
Regarding the Future of Hospital Services in Hemel Hempstead
The people of Hemel Hempstead are right to demand a hospital. Our community has been let down for years with the systematic downgrading of Hemel Hospital and a lack of meaningful public consultation on its future. Residents deserve clarity, not more broken promises. So here are the facts:
How Hospital Decisions Actually Work in the UK
1. Hospitals Are Not Decided by Councillors or MPs
MPs and councillors can lobby and campaign, but they do not have the power to approve or deliver hospitals.
These decisions are made by:
NHS England
The local Integrated Care Board (ICB)
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
2. Funding Comes from Central Government
A new hospital requires central government capital funding, usually hundreds of millions of pounds.
These decisions are based on regional need, cost-effectiveness, and existing infrastructure.
Hemel has not been earmarked for a new hospital in any current NHS capital investment plan.
3. West Herts NHS Trust Has Already Chosen Watford
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust has spent years developing its plans to centralise acute services at Watford General Hospital.
These plans are backed by the Hertfordshire & West Essex ICB and NHS England.
Hemel’s role is being reduced to limited outpatient and urgent care services.
4. Public Consultation Promises Have Not Been Honoured
Despite assurances from the government, there has been no full and binding public consultation on the downgrading or closure of Hemel Hospital. Community voices, including long-standing campaign groups, have been repeatedly ignored.
The Difficult Truth
There is no political pathway at present — from any party in power — that will deliver a new NHS hospital in Hemel Hempstead. Any suggestion otherwise is, respectfully, not supported by current NHS strategy or funding commitments.
So What Can Be Done?
Reform UK believes in being honest with the public. That’s why we are proposing a realistic, community-led alternative: a modern Health Hub in (loaction to be decided), funded by existing local development funds.
This would:
Provide diagnostic services (MRI, CT, blood work)
Deliver preventative healthcare for all residents
Reduce pressure on GPs and hospitals
Be accountable to local people, not distant NHS administrators
Our Commitment
We will continue to fight for:
Full public consultation on any loss of NHS services
Transparency in how NHS and council funds are spent
Practical, local solutions that improve healthcare access now not in another 10 years
If we want better healthcare, we need to face the facts and work with what we can control. That’s exactly what Reform UK is doing — not making false promises, but delivering solutions the community can own.
Thank you,
Noel Willcox
Branch Chair - Hemel Hempstead Reform UK
Regarding the Future of Hospital Services in Hemel Hempstead
The people of Hemel Hempstead are right to demand a hospital. Our community has been let down for years with the systematic downgrading of Hemel Hospital and a lack of meaningful public consultation on its future. Residents deserve clarity, not more broken promises. So here are the facts:
How Hospital Decisions Actually Work in the UK
1. Hospitals Are Not Decided by Councillors or MPs
MPs and councillors can lobby and campaign, but they do not have the power to approve or deliver hospitals.
These decisions are made by:
NHS England
The local Integrated Care Board (ICB)
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
2. Funding Comes from Central Government
A new hospital requires central government capital funding, usually hundreds of millions of pounds.
These decisions are based on regional need, cost-effectiveness, and existing infrastructure.
Hemel has not been earmarked for a new hospital in any current NHS capital investment plan.
3. West Herts NHS Trust Has Already Chosen Watford
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust has spent years developing its plans to centralise acute services at Watford General Hospital.
These plans are backed by the Hertfordshire & West Essex ICB and NHS England.
Hemel’s role is being reduced to limited outpatient and urgent care services.
4. Public Consultation Promises Have Not Been Honoured
Despite assurances from the government, there has been no full and binding public consultation on the downgrading or closure of Hemel Hospital. Community voices, including long-standing campaign groups, have been repeatedly ignored.
The Difficult Truth
There is no political pathway at present — from any party in power — that will deliver a new NHS hospital in Hemel Hempstead. Any suggestion otherwise is, respectfully, not supported by current NHS strategy or funding commitments.
So What Can Be Done?
Reform UK believes in being honest with the public. That’s why we are proposing a realistic, community-led alternative: a modern Health Hub in (loaction to be decided), funded by existing local development funds.
This would:
Provide diagnostic services (MRI, CT, blood work)
Deliver preventative healthcare for all residents
Reduce pressure on GPs and hospitals
Be accountable to local people, not distant NHS administrators
Our Commitment
We will continue to fight for:
Full public consultation on any loss of NHS services
Transparency in how NHS and council funds are spent
Practical, local solutions that improve healthcare access now not in another 10 years
If we want better healthcare, we need to face the facts and work with what we can control. That’s exactly what Reform UK is doing — not making false promises, but delivering solutions the community can own.
Thank you,
Noel Willcox
Branch Chair - Hemel Hempstead Reform UK