MPs and NHS officials have met with health secretary Jeremy Hunt to ask for £100m for Hillingdon Hospital.
At the meeting on Monday (March 9), MPs John McDonnell, John Randall and Nick Hurd, together with representatives from the hospital in Pield Heath Road, said the money was needed for “urgent” building repairs.
They also plan to lobby the next government to completely rebuild the hospital at a cost of £300m after the General Election in May.
The last Labour government had planned to spend £200m rebuilding the hospital, but the plan was scrapped by the coalition in 2010.
Hayes and Harlington MP Mr McDonnell said: "If the plans for a new hospital had been accepted in 2008, under the last government, we would not be in this dire situation, but the key message that we got across to the Secretary of State was that, whoever is in government after the election, we need the £100m investment quickly to ensure the current hospital can operate safely and effectively, but realistically we need to be planning for a new, modern hospital over the next few years.
“He seemed to accept our argument, but we need now to set in process as quickly as possible the work to prepare the plans and bid for resources for that much-needed new hospital."
The meeting followed a report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February, which highlighted a number of failings at the hospital, including that the critical care unit did not “conform to modern building standards”.
Labour MP Mr McDonnell, who organised the meeting, said he and his cross-party group showed Mr Hunt photographs of windows at the hospital that were sealed with tape, along with others of leaking ceilings with buckets placed under cracks.
Mr McDonnell said: “We cannot allow Hillingdon Hospital’s buildings to deteriorate further. We desperately need an immediate injection of investment.”
He added: “The consequences are already there. There are sections of Hillingdon Hospital already that aren't fit for purpose.
“The only reason we have got a hospital that's providing a decent service at the moment is because of the dedication of the staff.”
The bid for £100m has now been submitted and will go to NHS England before officially reaching the health minister.
Mr McDonnell said he hoped to hear back by this summer but realistically expected a decision by autumn.
He said the hospital, Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Hillingdon Council would take between six and nine months to draw up a bid for the hospital's rebuild.
