HEALTHWATCH Herefordshire (HH) has challenged health secretary Jeremy Hunt to back up his expression of support for Wye Valley NHS Trust with further funding.

HH chair Paul Deneen said that, given the Mr Hunt’s comments, cash for Hereford County Hospital should now be pressed as a “special case”.

Mr Deneen was responding to the visit of health secretary Jeremy Hunt to HCH yesterday (Thurs).

During his visit Mr Hunt told the Hereford Times that trusts as relatively small as WVT “absolutely” had a future in the NHS where their emphasis could be put on quality of care.

He praised the work of MP Jesse Norman in cutting some £5 million from costs related the PFI contract that got the hospital built, but stopped short of outlining any prospect of direct government intervention in the application of the present contract or influence on its future application.

Mr Deneen said: "As a result of its unique city and rural nature and location, and because of the future age-profile of the population, there will be increased needs in the years ahead.

The hospital will, as a result, require additional funding to cover the cost of increasing its bed capacity, and this should be factored in to future budgeting.

Herefordshire should therefore be regarded as a special case, and should receive the necessary funding by the government."

HH, said Mr Deenen, is “totally supportive” of the county’s current care model that had acute and community services being delivered at local level with local accountability.

This, he said received “widespread support” from the public.

HH also wanted issues around the hospital’s PFI contract to be resolved “as soon as possible” and with “national intervention” if necessary.

 Mr Deneen called, to, for “clarification” between Westminster and the Welsh government over funding needs for Welsh patients treated at HCH.

 “Any outcomes should not disadvantage the hospital, the patients or the service in any way," he said.

During yesterday’s (Thurs) visit Mr Hunt cited Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT) being put into special measures as an example of the “honesty” NHS Wales and the Welsh government should be showing to  patients.

Putting hospitals into special measures acknowledged problems and allowed for solutions – the approach NHS Wales should be taking to what its own statistics show, he said.

The Welsh health minister Mark Drakeford AM has since spoken of his "serious concern" at the rating of HCH as "inadequate" given the number of Welsh patients routinely receiving care and treatment there.