Health secretary admits 40 hospitals will not be built by 2030 as originally planned
The New Hospital Programme is “not deliverable” to the original 2030 timeline, the new health secretary has revealed.
Speaking in the House of Commons earlier this week, Wes Streeting accused the previous Conservative government of handing over an “entirely fictional timetable and an unfunded programme” for the scheme.
First announced by Boris Johnson in 2020, the £20bn programme was originally meant to deliver 40 new hospitals by the end of the decade but has been hit by successive delays.
Last summer, the National Audit Office found the initiative was behind schedule and would only complete 32 schemes in that time.
NHS trust leaders joined the growing number of critics earlier this year, slamming “delay, indecision and soaring costs” and citing cost increases as high as 25%.
In his update to parliament, Streeting said: “It is painfully clear that the previous government’s new hospital programme – they said that they would deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030 – is not deliverable in that timeframe.
“I want to see the new hospital programme completed but I am not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities they deserve.
“That is why I have asked officials as a matter of urgency to report to me on the degree to which the programme is funded along with a realistic timetable for delivery.”
An update in February had revealed that the standardised design for the NHP was mostly complete, with modern methods of construction set to feature prominently in an effort to speed up delivery and reduce costs.
>> Read more: Rebooting the New Hospital Programme: Is this the solution to the NHS backlog?
“We will not play fast and loose with the public finances, nor will we play fast and loose with people’s trust as the previous government did,” said Streeting.
The Ilford North MP said hospitals with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete were “top of my list of priorities” and added that, even beyond the new hospitals programme, the condition of the NHS estate was poor.
He revealed that backlog maintenance and the direct cost of bringing the estate into compliance with mandatory fire safety requirements and statutory safety legislation currently stood at £11.6bn.
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