NHS bosses have announced there would be no new hospital for West Hertfordshire, despite widespread support from patients to create one.

The NHS and Hertfordshire County Council had been consulting on the future model of hospital care in the area as part of the Your Care Your Future.

One proposed model was building a new hospital between Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, but in a statement released this evening, West Herts Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said it will be focusing on developing the existing hospitals in Watford and St Albans.

READ MORE: Hospital plans may not be finalised until end of the year, documents reveal.

In the statement, the group warned health campaigners that they had to back the plans or else “run the risk of finding ourselves at the back of a very long queue for precious NHS funding”.

It said: "We have decided to take forward an approach that retains services on the existing Watford and St Albans sites, carrying out redevelopment on both of them, with as much new build as we can achieve and with the possibility of a complete rebuild at Watford.

“Some stakeholders wanted us to pursue the option for a new hospital on a ‘greenfield’ site near junction 20 of the M25.

“Work we have carried out so far suggests that this would not be the best way forward either in terms of costs or other benefits such as travel times, but we are going to do some additional analysis in the coming weeks to review some of the data and costs in order to be sure we are right not to include this option in the next stage of the process.”

About 80 stakeholders – including patient representatives and local clinicians – gathered today to hear about and discuss the options that are being taken forward.

Dr Nicolas Small, Chair of Herts Valleys CCG, said: “I am pleased that we are making progress and that we have got something we can take forward to the next crucial stage.

"In order to be in a position to make a case for some essential capital investment, we need a credible and realistic plan. I really think we have one here and I am glad.

"I understand that this might be disappointing for those who were hoping for a hospital on a different site - but I hope everyone can rally behind the approach and all work together to achieve the best we can for the people of west Hertfordshire.”

What do you think? Comment below or email charlotte.ikonen@london.newsquest.co.uk.