MP challenges hospital consultation decision
Getty ImagesA decision not to hold a public consultation on plans for a new Frimley Park Hospital has been challenged by Surrey Heath MP Al Pinkerton.
In an open letter, Pinkerton said newly disclosed documents showed the joint health overview and scrutiny committee backed a decision not to consult publicly because it believed the move would have "no negative impact on access".
Pinkerton said the hospital relocation was one of the biggest projects the area had seen and questioned the evidence behind that conclusion.
Committee chairman Trefor Hogg said the decision was for the NHS and that he supported it because there was no expected "significant disadvantage" to patients.
Plans to rebuild Frimley Park Hospital on part of Pine Ridge Golf Club were announced after the current building was found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).
Pinkerton raised his concerns in an open letter to Hogg.
He referred to a letter dated 4 July 2025, which he said was disclosed through a Freedom of Information request.
The letter, signed by Hogg and vice-chairman Bill Withers, said a formal consultation was not needed because no services would be lost and access would not be affected.
Pinkerton said: "It is extraordinary that a project of this scale could proceed without a formal NHS public consultation."
He said the relocation was "the most significant change to healthcare provision in Surrey Heath for a generation".
He added: "My letter asks what evidence supported that conclusion at the time."
In a response, Hogg said the NHS had considered whether wider public consultation was necessary.
He said officials decided it was not required.
Hogg said the plans did not involve a major loss of access for patients.
He said the search area remained within five miles of the current hospital.
"If there had been an obvious disadvantage at that time to patients, then I might have felt differently about the issue," he said.
