I strongly support the NHS and I am concerned about the issues facing patients and staff in the current hospital building.

This week I met with Lord Markham to discuss plans to rebuild the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The RBH has been identified for rebuilding – however, it was not on a list of projects which were announced recently.

We discussed whether the Government will announce plans for rebuilding work, and I was told that this depends on the result of ground surveys at the hospital.

The results of this will help the Government decide whether the hospital should be rebuilt on its existing site, or whether it would need to be rebuilt on a new site. The location of the site will also have an impact on when any rebuilding work might begin.

I will continue to call for more investment in the NHS both locally and across the country, and I hope to be able to provide a more detailed update in a few months when ground surveys have been completed.