The health secretary was at Watford General Hospital today to discuss proposals for a redevelopment of the site.

Jeremy Hunt was joined by Watford MP Richard Harrington, as he met staff at the hospital.

He met chief exec Katie Fisher and chairman Steve Barnett to talk about the possible wholescale redevelopment of the hospital before spending nearly an hour chatting with nurses, doctors, and consultants.

The 70 plus staff also heard from NHS England’s medical director, Professor Steve Powis, as he gave a speech about the importance of creating a “transparent culture”.

This was followed by a Q&A where Mr Hunt was quizzed on resources for children’s mental health services, staffing, and the potential of technology to transform healthcare.

After his visit, Mr Hunt said: “Staff at West Herts have been on an amazing journey since the trust was placed in special measures and have made some incredible improvements. I’d like to wish their outgoing chief executive Katie Fisher all the best as she leaves the NHS this year - she’s led the trust to make profound improvements in the face of rising demand.”

Mr Harrington, who has been campaigning for a revamped hospital, added: said “I’m so pleased that Jeremy accepted my invitation to come to Watford and speak to staff face-to-face about plans.

“Our hospital staff are first class, but now we need the first class facilities to match. I will be working closely with the Department for Health and NHS Staff to make sure we have the funds we need.

But today was also a celebration of the patient safety journey which the hospital has been on. We’ve seen sustained improvements across the board, with the trust moving out of special measures earlier this year.

“This is not just down to the hard work of the fantastic leadership team, as all of the staff there have worked tirelessly to drive up standards.”