Almost half of the new hospitals that have been promised by the government are not going to start construction before the original deadline of 2030, the government has said.
Of the 40 promised hospitals, 18 of those are not due to start construction until after 2030, with some potentially waiting until 2039 for a start date.
In a policy paper reviewing the New Hospital Programme, health secretary Wes Streeting said there was ‘spin’ applied to the programme, which was initially announced by the previous government in October 2020, and that it was built on ‘false hope’ that it would be completed as a programme by 2030.
Mr Streeting outlined a new timeline for the programme, which will happen in three five-year ‘waves’ of investment, on top of seven schemes that are already under construction.
The document said: ‘The government has agreed a set of realistic and deliverable assumptions around the ongoing funding envelope that will enable the programme to plan sustainably for the long term and support schemes in rolling waves of investment.
‘The exact profile of funding will be confirmed in rolling 5-year waves at regular Spending Reviews (as with all government capital budgets in the future). Once the programme has reached a steady state in the early 2030s it can assume an overall funding envelope of £15 billion in each 5-year funding window.’
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘It will be a disappointing blow to NHS leaders, staff and patients across the country that some of these vital hospital building projects have been delayed. But we welcome this clarity from government that all the existing projects will continue and the revised timetable looks more realistic.
‘While we understand the delays given the ongoing pressures on the public finances, we are concerned that the delays may lead to costs rising and some of these projects being even more expensive. That will need to be managed carefully.’
Siva Anandaciva, director of policy, partnerships and events at The King’s Fund, said: ‘This review confirms that hospital leaders were right to be sceptical that there was enough funding to deliver the 40 new hospitals programme by the 2030 deadline. The construction industry has not been immune from rising inflation and labour shortages over recent years, and it is welcome that new plans announced today aim to be more realistic, including a long-term outline for how the programme will be funded.
‘However, it will be devasting to staff and patients to hear that plans to rebuild many local hospitals will be kicked so far into the long grass. It is clear that the knackered condition of some NHS buildings and equipment in both hospital and out-of-hospital settings is harming patients and staff and hampering attempts to improve NHS productivity.
‘Pausing or delaying plans to rebuild hospitals is also very likely to be a false economy – many hospitals are already spending significant amounts of taxpayers funding trying to maintain sub-standard buildings – and they will have to keep doing so in the years to come.’
NHS Providers added that the delays were a ‘major blow’ for NHS trusts, staff and patients.
It comes as nurses revealed last week that patients are dying, miscarrying and suffering cardiac arrest in hospital corridors due to insufficient space and discharge delays.
Recent weeks have seen a significant rise flu, norovirus and RSV in the NHS, with multiple hospitals having declared critical incidents due to high volumes of patients being admitted.
