DESPITE health bosses getting £16m to improve hospital servies in the county Redditch's Alexandra hospital has not seen a single penny.

So far Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has received £16million out of a promised £29.6m Acute Services Review funding - but the Alex has not received any of it.

It can be revealed however, that in total £8m will be spent on the Alex, but it is not known when the embattled hospital site will see the cash.

The £8m will pay for improvements to the elective care centre, endoscopy, children’s outpatients and an upgrade in theatres.

£11million is being used to accelerate the refurbishment of the Aconbury East Building at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and on construction of the link bridge to the Aconbury East Building, which is well underway.

It is hoped the refurb will mean more acute beds will be available to treat patients with more complex needs and mean an increase in the trust’s overall acute bed capacity during the coming Winter.

A further £5million, approved by the Department for Health & Social Care earlier this year, is being spent on several emergency projects, including improving the safety of the trust’s estate to enhance the quality of patient services.

Redditch MP Rachel Maclean expressed her frustration at the time it is taking to get the £8m.

"The money is sat there waiting to be used," she said.

"As we’ve seen for the bids for the £16million, once submitted, the Department of Health & Social Care has approved the business cases within a matter of weeks.

“I’m now urging trust bosses to get on and submit their final business case to access the funding for the Alex."

She added: “This investment is a clear sign that the Alex is here to stay and has a long-term future ahead of it."