AN INDICATION of what the future of Winchester hospital could look like has been hinted at by health bosses.

Plans are being drawn up for a new hospital in or near Basingstoke which would serve mid and north Hampshire.

Residents were given the opportunity to ask questions of those behind the Hampshire Together programme during a meeting organised by MP Steve Brine last week.

Hampshire Hospitals chief executive Alex Whitfield said: “We’ve been developing some options and proposals and I know a number of you have been involved in that.

“We have a couple of different options for the site of the new build, one at junction 7 of the M3 and one at the current Basingstoke site and we have some really exciting plans for the Royal Hampshire County Hospital which would be our main local hospital under these plans and have lots of the services that you know and love but also potential for additional services including additional surgical services, planned surgical services.”

She continued: “I absolutely want to assure that investment in the Royal Hampshire County is part of Hampshire Together, it is also part of what we are doing right now.

“We are completely committed to the Royal Hampshire and really happy to take that conversation further.”

Ms Whitfield indicated that services such as diagnostics, MRIs and CTs will remain at Winchester hospital, even when the new hospital is built.

Health bosses were asked by resident Tessa Tulloch about the future of the city’s A&E department, which is currently the specialist local centre for strokes.

At present if someone has a major trauma they would be taken to Southampton, but they had a cardiac condition they would be admitted to Basingstoke.

Ms Whitfield said: “Under all of our proposals and options, a child who has hurt their finger on a football pitch would be able to go to Royal Hampshire County, the minor injury type services in any proposal would still happen there [along with] much of the minor illnesses, the variety of things that happen that people walk-in to an A&E for, they would still be able to come to the Royal Hampshire under a number of our options. The issue is where do the ambulances take you.

“The options that we will talk to the public about will have different scenarios about where the ambulances might take you.”

It is not yet clear what services could be lost once a plan for the new hospital has been approved, but Mr Brine urged health chiefs to be upfront with residents.

He said: “Yes I’m pleased, who wouldn’t be pleased to have a brand-new hospital serving his constituents but there is going to be a rub to that.

“You are not going to have all the same services in Basingstoke and Winchester and a new hospital in between and a major trauma centre at Southampton, there is going to be a trade-off. I expect the clinicians to own that, and I expect the clinicians to be 100 per cent up front with us as to what we trade in order to what we gain.”