Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, has launched the largest hospital building programme in a generation as part of a new Health Infrastructure Plan, which is published today.
The plan’s new, strategic approach will ensure the health service has world-class facilities for patients and staff for the long term.
It sets out a long-term programme of investment in health infrastructure, including capital to build new hospitals; modernise the primary care estate; invest in new diagnostics and technology; and help eradicate critical safety issues in the NHS estate.
At the centre of the plan is a new hospital building programme, which the Government has launched with a £2.8billion investment that gives six new large hospitals the funding to go ahead, with plans to deliver them by 2025.
A further 21 schemes have also been given the go-ahead, with the seed funding they need to develop their business cases and with the aim of delivering between 2025-2030, subject to business case approvals.
In total this programme involves more than 40 hospital building projects as some schemes involve the development of more than one hospital site.
And all local areas will have the opportunity to bid to be part of future funding rounds.
The six trusts getting £2.7billion in funding today to develop new hospitals are:
- Barts Health NHS Trust
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
- West Hertfordshire Trust Hospitals NHS Trust
- Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The 21 schemes receiving £100m of seed funding include Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge; Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham; and North Manchester General Hospital.
Today’s investment is on top of the extra £33.9billion a year by 2023/2024 that the Government is providing to the NHS.
And it follows the Government’s recent commitment of £1.8billion in capital funding for 20 hospital upgrades and other critical infrastructure works for the NHS, as well as the announcement on Friday of £200m to replace more than 300 diagnostic machines across the country to help drive earlier cancer diagnosis and improve survival.