Fleur Anderson Joins NHS 75th Birthday Celebrations
Putney MP attends opening of new facilities at Springfield Village
Fleur Anderson speaks at the launch of new mental health facilities at Springfield Village
July 7, 2023
Fleur Anderson has joined the opening celebration of the new Springfield Mental Health Trust Hospital buildings to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS being founded.
The Putney MP joined the Mayor of Wandsworth, Cllr Henderson and local residents at the ‘Making Life Better Together Summer Street Party’ at Springfield Village to meet staff, patients, volunteers and local organisations working alongside the hospital.
The Springfield Village development hosts two brand new mental health facilities for the NHS.
The celebration event held this week (5 July) was a party to celebrate the work and input of staff, patients and the wider community, with food from around the world, stalls from Trust teams and community partners, music and activities.
The first of two new mental health facilities at Springfield Village, the Trinity building, opened to patients at the end of 2022 and is now home to four wards, as well as CAMHS and Adult outpatient services.
According to St George’s NHS Trust, ‘The new facilities at Springfield Village have been designed to provide high quality inpatient services that deliver modern mental healthcare, giving people the best chance to recover in the best environment, and supporting our staff to deliver the outstanding care our service users deserve from us.’
Ms Anderson said, “How brilliant to celebrate the NHS’s 75th Birthday with this opening ceremony and spotlight on our mental health services. I have been following the plans for these new wards and homes for 10 years. It is wonderful to see such a progressive and holistic approach taken to mental health support. Congratulations to the excellent St George’s NHS Trust for the work they have done so far.
“We need more investment to reduce waiting times in mental health, especially for children and young people, and I talked with staff about the support for people with eating disorders and the importance of work in schools and youth services to provide early help.
“I am incredibly proud of our NHS and Queen Mary’s and St Georges Hospitals and all our GPs and home carers. I am personally crateful for care for my babies born at St Georges and for treating my kidneys, and we all have reasons to be very glad that the NHS was created by a Labour Government 75 years ago.
“Staff at St George’s Trust and across the country work with phenomenal dedication and resilience despite 13 years of catastrophic Conservative Government cuts. I will continue to fight tooth and nail to protect our precious NHS for generations to come. We must be confident that the NHS will serve our country for another 75 years and more.”
Fleur Anderson with Councillor Graeme Henderson, Mayor of Wandsworth, Councillor Juliana Annan, Rosena Allin-Khan MP, Councillor Judi Gasser and Councillor Kate Forbes
She continued, “I am really interested to see the impact of combining a wealth of services in this new village. I hope that it will expand community services and bring forward a new stigma-breaking vision for mental healthcare in South West London and encourage us to understand mental and physical health and wellbeing in a way that is rooted in how people are able to live. The celebration of progress so far was a good opportunity to reflect on everything achieved so far, and the distance still to go.”
The Trust partnered with arts charity Hospital Rooms to commission 20 major artworks by world class artists, co-produced with patients and service users, which have already received national and international recognition following their installation.
A spokesperson for St George’s NHS Trust said, “We are hugely proud of the new facilities we have developed so far and of everything that Springfield Village represents. This innovative new landscape brings our services closer to the people we serve and breaks down the enduring stigma associated with mental ill health.”
Beyond Springfield, the Trust plans to begin redevelopments later this year at both Barnes and Tolworth Hospitals, whilst progressing the roll-out of enhanced community services .
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