Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing praises Holly House Hospital as a “great asset” to the district

Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing has praised the work being carried out at Holly House Hospital and the treatments it provides hailing it as a “great asset” for the local community.

Following a visit to the Buckhurst Hill hospital, Mrs Laing added that she welcomed the hospital’s policy regarding any of its patients who had received a PIP breast implant.

The £20m improvement project which is well underway at the High Road hospital and its stance on the PIP implants situation were among the issues covered when Mrs Laing met hospital director Phil Bates and customer services manager Matthew Hayday.

The first part of the development work is set to be completed in April with the project due to be finished in about October.

Once completed the hospital will be more than double its current size.

There will be three new theatres, a new outpatients department, basement parking, new bedrooms, a new post-operative recovery area, new facilities for pathology and the pharmacy and additional administration space.

While being a private hospital, Holly House – which is part of Aspen Healthcare– also treats NHS patients, and last year was chosen by over 3,500 patients as their preferred hospital for NHS treatment.

Mrs Laing said: “I was delighted to see how well the expansion work at Holly House is progressing. The hospital is a great asset to our local community.

“It’s brilliant that with the NHS choice system patients are able to choose to have their operations at Holly House. I know how many people appreciate being able to have certain treatments there rather than having to travel to a bigger hospital.”

Regarding the PIP breast implants situation, Mr Bates told Mrs Laing that any woman who had received a PIP implant at the hospital would be treated as a priority case should they have concerns.

Mrs Laing said: “Knowing how concerned a number of constituents are regarding the PIP breast implant issue I was very pleased to hear that any woman who received a PIP implant at Holly House only has to go there for a consultation and Holly House will arrange for a scan or if necessary removal of implant.”

Following a discussion with Mr Bates and Mr Hayday, Mrs Laing has promised to contact Epping Forest District Council to support the hospital's efforts to be able to temporarily use its front lawn for additional parking, until the building work is completed.

This would provide between ten and 15 more parking spaces.

Photo: Eleanor Laing has her blood pressure taken by senor staff nurse Raluca Seres, with hospital director Phil Bates and customer services manager Matthew Hayday.