How is the plan for 48 hospitals going?

Boris Johnson mentioned in his digital convention speech: “This authorities is urgent on with its plan for 48 hospitals. Depend them. That is eight already below manner after which 40 extra between now and 2030.”

That is an improve of the “40 new hospitals” pledge Mr Johnson made throughout the election marketing campaign in 2019 – a declare we examined final December.

So, how is the hospital-building plan progressing?

The eight

In a press launch asserting £3.7bn funding for the 40 hospitals, the Division of Well being and Social Care (DHSC) listed the schemes.

The primary 4 on the checklist are described as “in construct”. A few of them have been began earlier than Boris Johnson as a result of prime minister.

We contacted the hospital trusts concerned to learn how the initiatives have been going.

Two of them – the Midland Metropolitan College Hospital and the Royal Liverpool – have been beset by issues and delays because the collapse of contractor Carillion.

The Midland Metropolitan College Hospital was initially on account of be accomplished in 2018 however is now anticipated to open in 2022. Constructing prices are set to nearly double from the unique £350m.

A report by the Nationwide Audit Workplace mentioned the overall prices related to the mission have been more likely to attain £988m, of which £709m can be met by taxpayers.

Constructing work began on the Royal Liverpool Hospital in 2014 and the hospital was initially scheduled for completion in 2017.

The belief advised us that though elements of the hospital opened briefly earlier this yr, they have been now closed and building work was ongoing. The completion date and complete value of the scheme haven’t but been finalised, it added.

Development of the Cumberland Most cancers Hospital started in January 2020 and it’s anticipated to complete subsequent yr.

And work on the surface of the 3Ts Hospital in Brighton is nearly completed, however the belief advised us it did not have a agency completion date at this stage.

The following 4 are mentioned to be “pending remaining approval”.

On the Better Manchester Main Trauma Hospital, the belief says authorities funding has been confirmed and constructing work on the Acute Receiving Centre will begin quickly.

The rebuilding of Northgate Hospital in Northumberland is anticipating remaining ministerial and Treasury approval of £54m funding by November. Preparatory work has began on web site and it’s hoped to have the brand new constructing totally operational by March 2024.

The Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Basis Belief says it’s aiming to submit a planning software for its new constructing this autumn, with an estimated opening date of 2025-26.

Planning for the Defence and Nationwide Rehabilitation Centre close to Loughborough is progressing – £70m of presidency funding has been earmarked for the constructing and the goal is for the rehabilitation centre to be treating sufferers in 2024.

We requested the DHSC for a press release on the standing of those eight initiatives and whether or not they have been all below manner. It advised us that each one eight have been hospitals that have been dedicated to below earlier governments so have been already below manner when this authorities made its pledge in 2019 to construct 40 new hospitals.

So the prime minister is taking credit score for initiatives begun by his predecessors.

‘Forty extra between now and 2030’

An extra six hospital trusts have been promised funding and kind the primary part of the federal government’s Well being Infrastructure Plan, referred to as HIP1.

The schemes concerned in HIP1 are:

• A brand new Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow
• The rebuilding of Watford Common Hospital
• A brand new hospital at Whipps Cross College Hospital in north-east London
• A brand new hospital for Epsom Common Hospital and St Helier Hospital
• A rebuild at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield, and new services at Leicester Common
• A brand new hospital at Leeds Common Infirmary.

We requested for updates on these initiatives. Most of them are nonetheless within the planning phases however demolition works have began at Leeds Common Infirmary. The primary sufferers are anticipated to be seen within the new hospital in 2026.

Twenty-one hospital trusts got a share of £100m in seed funding in September 2019 to develop their proposals.

The federal government now says these trusts will all be totally funded to ship 25 new hospital buildings (some trusts are constructing multiple).

A brand new hospital at Shotley Bridge in Durham has been added to the checklist, and the federal government is inviting bids for an additional eight schemes.

Taken collectively this does add as much as 40 however with eight of them but to be recognized.

How a lot will it value?

Final yr the federal government pledged £2.7bn funding for six hospitals in HIP1.

With the addition of recent initiatives to the checklist, it has now elevated the funding dedication to £3.7bn however this shall be a fraction of the ultimate value of constructing 48 new hospitals.

The DHSC has not supplied an estimate of ultimate prices, and turned down the BBC’s request for a breakdown of how a lot particular person trusts have been receiving from the £3.7bn.

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