HEALTH Secretary Alan Milburn laid the foundation stone for the new £37.5 million Edgware Community Hospital on Tuesday.

Mr Milburn has been involved in the saga of Edgware Hospital ever since Labour was swept to power in 1997 promising to review the Conservatives' controversial decision to close the general hospital. When that promise was unfulfilled, lengthy consultation with residents, hospital bosses, Barnet Community Health Council and the New Edgware Hospital Campaign eventually led to the idea of a community hospital.

"It's been a long, hard road and has taken a long time to get here," said Mr Milburn. "It is, however, very pleasing that the new hospital, which people in the community have been arguing for, is going to happen. It's taken time, but it was very important to involve the community in the decision and that wasn't an easy process for anybody."

The new hospital, on the site of the former one off Burnt Oak Broadway, which was originally expected to be completed for £25 million budget, is now due to open in the summer of 2004. Services available will include intermediate care beds, day surgery, outpatients' clinics and an assessment unit for the elderly.

Mr Milburn said he felt Edgware would become a "leading edge community hospital", but despite his claim that "what people need is a range of accessible services on their doorstep", the urgent treatment centre's night service is still in doubt.

Its closure between 10pm and 7am, suggested by Barnet Primary Care Trust which runs the hospital, would leave patients with minor injuries or illnesses having to travel to Northwick Park or Barnet hospitals for treatment.

A review group of representatives of Barnet CHC, the New Edgware Hospital Campaign, Barnet PCT and the North Central London Health Authority meets for the first time tomorrow (Friday) to discuss the issue.

Stan Davison, chairman of the New Edgware Hospital Campaign, said: "I think we will get over the problems of the UTC. We are probably on the home stretch towards the completion of the hospital we wanted."

July 10, 2002 16:30