More than half of 40 new hospital projects could be delayed

More than half of the 40 new hospital projects promised by the previous government could be postponed, the Health Secretary has announced.

Wes Streeting confirmed that the Government was considering changing the timetable for 25 of the new hospitals Boris Johnson pledged to build by 2030.

Mr Streeting said the cost of the New Hospital Programme (NHP) had “risen by billions” and was now “undeliverable and unaffordable”.

Almost all – 19 – of the hospitals are in constituencies represented by Labour MPs, raising the possibility of further political pain for Sir Keir Starmer’s Government.

In a letter to MPs on the eve of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Streeting wrote: “This Government is fully committed to an NHS estate that is fit for the future. However, from our first weeks in office it was clear that the New Hospital Programme was undeliverable, unaffordable, and estimated costs had risen by billions.

“Combined with the incredibly challenging fiscal inheritance that the Chancellor set out in her statement on July 29, it has become clear that the challenges facing the NHP, and the wider public finances, are much more severe than we were aware.”

Mr Streeting blamed the previous Tory government for leaving a “vacuum” in the public finances that allowed his predecessors to suggest £20 billion had been invested in the NHP that was not there.

It comes after warnings from the Health Secretary that the NHS is broken. Earlier this month, a landmark report by Lord Darzi, a surgeon and former health minister, said the health service was in a “critical condition”, with surging waiting lists, poor cancer performance and a struggle to access care.

The report also found that A&E waiting times have risen so much that a patient in need of care will now typically have 100 people ahead of them in the queue – up from just under 40 in 2009.

Lord Darzi said the NHS had “more resources than ever before”, with funding of £165 billion – a record outside the pandemic. But he also warned that there was an urgent need to boost productivity and shift more care out of hospitals.

Addressing the postponing of new hospital projects, Mr Streeting wrote: “This Government wants to see the NHP completed, but we are not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities they deserve.”

The terms of the reference for the review mean more than three in five of the hospitals could now face delays, with some likely to extend beyond the 2030 deadline set by Mr Johnson.

Promising a “thorough, costed and realistic timeline” for the new facilities, Mr Streeting said schemes would have to be taken forward “as financial conditions allow”. He also pledged to meet the MPs whose constituencies would be affected by the delays.

Hospitals in Labour constituencies that face delays include Royal Preston, in the seat represented by Maya Ellis, and Lancaster Royal Infirmary, in the seat represented by Cat Smith.

The London constituencies of new MPs Calvin Bailey and Matt Turmaine could also be affected by potential delays at Whipps Cross University Hospital, in east London, and Watford General Hospital.

Danny Beales, the MP for Mr Johnson’s old constituency of Uxbridge and Ruislip, in north-west London, may have to explain any delays at the Hillingdon Hospital to the former prime minister’s constituents.

Mr Streeting stressed in his letter that the rebuilding of hospitals made up almost entirely of potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) will not be delayed. It emerged last year that almost two million patients and 43,000 NHS staff were thought to be “at risk” from buildings with crumbling concrete.

“Central to the review is the understanding that the hospitals built primarily from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) need to be replaced as a priority, to protect patient and staff safety,” said Mr Streeting. “While the review is taking place, all schemes within the NHP will be supported to continue to make progress.”

Seven of the 40 new hospital sites were identified in Mr Streeting’s letter as having Raac concrete. Among them were Airedale General Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, in Cambridgeshire, and Leighton Hospital, in Mid Cheshire, all of which will continue being rebuilt as planned.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited a New Hospital Programme that is undeliverable and unfunded. We will be honest with patients and will put the programme on a sustainable footing.

“Patient safety is our biggest concern, so rebuilds of hospitals built primarily from RAAC, alongside those where the Full Business Case is already approved, will continue as planned. Our review will provide a thorough, costed and realistic timeline for delivery of the rest of the programme to ensure we can replace the crumbling hospital estate in England.

“This, alongside the fundamental reforms that will be introduced in our 10-year plan, will ensure we build an NHS that is fit for the future.”