In 2006, Government Minister Andy Burnham (now Prime Minister) said he would closely monitor plans to replace wartime buildings at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.
Mr Burnham, then Minister of State for Delivery and Quality at the Department of Health, spent a day at the hospital shadowing senior house officer Dr Sarah Holden.
His visit was recorded in the Somerset County Gazette newspaper on August 24 2006.
It gave Mr Burnham, who has served as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party since July 2026, an opportunity to learn more about the pressures facing doctors and nurses working at the hospital.
Afterwards, he said: “It was good to be able to spend time shadowing Dr Holden and understand what it is like working in the reality of the modern NHS.
“Musgrove provides an excellent service which is valued by its patients and the public.
“The commitment, dedication and expertise of all the staff I met doctors, cleaners, nurses, porters, receptionists – is clear for all to see.”
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Mr Burnham spent the day with Dr Holden in the hospital’s main surgical block, which was more than 60 years old.
The buildings had been constructed by the American army during the Second World War and were due to be replaced as part of ambitious redevelopment plans for the site.
Mr Burnham said: “I spent my day shadowing Sarah in the main surgical block, which is now over 60 years old.
“The Taunton & Somerset Trust has ambitious plans to redevelop this part of the site and I will be taking a particular interest in the progress of this essential project.”
The minister’s visit highlighted the condition of the existing surgical facilities while recognising the work carried out by staff across Musgrove Park Hospital.
This week, MP for Taunton and Wellington, Gideon Amos, has said it is now time those World War Two buildings were replaced.
He said: “I’m glad Andy Burnham has experience of Musgrove Park Hospital but, 20 years on from his visit, it’s time those World War Two buildings were finally replaced.
"In the question session with him, he said his train was recently abandoned at Taunton.
"Next time he comes west, he needs to stop at Taunton and make clear to us that our need for the new maternity unit will not be abandoned, like his train, and will instead be urgently brought forward from 2033. That date is far too late."
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