My Lords, some time ago I was a patient at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. My Lords, I certainly agree that we should be proud of the achievements over many years of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. Other orthopaedic hospitals such as the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, where I was once employed, also have a proud claim to being international centres of excellence. I fully accept that the buildings at the hospital are not ideal at present. That is why the trust has made its proposals and the London regional office is currently considering them.
People attend the hospital simply because the quality of the care is so good.
My Lords, I do not think that I can go further than the comments I made in my previous response. The trust has put forward proposals which would amount to the wholesale redevelopment of the site. Those proposals are being considered at the moment. The proposal is also being considered by the regional office. It is hoped that the office will come forward with a speedy response.