After more than 15 years of Tory dithering that left 7,600 patients in a portacabin, Labour pledged in May 2024 to secure better healthcare facilities for Egham Hythe and the surrounding area — and the months since have been spent working to make it happen.
The Hythe Medical Practice is moving into the Hythe Centre, transforming it into a full health hub for Egham Hythe, Pooley Green and the wider area. Building work is scheduled to start this summer.
Runnymede Borough Council agreed to sell part of the Hythe Centre for healthcare use — opening the way for a new, modern GP surgery that will be four times the size of the current facility. Once the refurbishment is complete, the new building will provide eight consulting and clinical rooms, modern staff facilities, primary, secondary and community health services, and a future-proof environment for over 7,600 patients.
This is not the only NHS investment Labour has secured for the area. £400,000 is being invested in Grove Medical Centre to expand GP availability and end the 8am rush for an appointment.
A further £3.2 million is being invested in St Peter’s Hospital — upgrading the cardiac catheter lab to allow heart procedures to be carried out more quickly and safely, and refurbishing the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the only Level 3 facility in Surrey, caring for some of the smallest and sickest babies from across the county.
Taken together, this investment begins to address both the population growth of the past decade and the loss of local healthcare capacity, including the closure of sites on Chertsey Lane and Thorpe Road.
We have spoken to over 2,000 residents, and they have mainly told us they want three things: health services available to everyone when they need them, safe and tidy streets and public spaces, and support with the rising cost of living. This investment is a direct response to what people in Egham Hythe and Pooley Green have been telling us for years. - Co-Leader of Runnymede Borough Council and Surrey County Councillor for Egham, Cllr Robert King
The progress is the result of months of sustained work with Council Officers and NHS partners by Cllr King alongside Cllr Rhys Davies and Cllr Ricky Milstead, all who backed the vision for improved local health services.