Europe’s first carbon-neutral hospital, a mental health facility replacing a Victorian-era building, and the merger of two hospitals onto a single site form part of an ambitious proposal submitted to the Government.
The joint bid asking for over £1.7billion in funding has been submitted by the Act as One health and care partnership that covers Bradford District and Craven, serving a population of more than 647,000 people.
The combined bid is in addition to three individual proposals submitted by Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, and Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
And it id being backed by NHS Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group, Bradford Council, and the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership.
Building on extensive work involving a range of partners, community groups, health and care staff, and feedback from citizens on current health and care facilities, the proposals would see state-of-the-art facilities being developed over the coming years.
We have put together a compelling case that highlights that doing nothing is not an option for us at Airedale due to our buildings now reaching the end of their life
The new hospitals would go beyond providing hospital care and include options that would encourage wider community use of the buildings to support people to live well and contribute to the wider economic regeneration of the region.
The bid links to broad-ranging plans that are considering how other buildings and community assets – such as health centres, GP surgeries and community centres – can help deliver the health, care, and wellbeing services to meet future needs.
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said of the plan: “We are excited by the proposal being submitted for three new hospitals that would revolutionise the way we deliver health and care, while also contributing to our wider regeneration and recovery plans.
“I fully support the collective bid that shows the strength of our partnership that genuinely demonstrates the vision we have to Act as One in all that we do.”
Helen Hirst, chief officer at NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG, added: “Our plans would radically transform health and care services for our communities, contribute to the wider economic recovery plans, encourage inward investment, attract and retain the best talent, and build on wider regeneration plans both for Bradford District and Craven and our wider region.
“They would also allow us to positively contribute to carbon-zero or carbon-neutral ambitions.”
And Brendan Brown, chief executive at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have put together a compelling case that highlights that doing nothing is not an option for us at Airedale due to our buildings now reaching the end of their life.
“Our plans would see us create the first carbon-neutral hospital in Europe, directly contributing to local and global efforts to combat climate change.”
The three hospitals would be developed as part of a phased programme, starting with Lynfield Mount, Airedale Hospital, and a new single-site solution combining St Luke’s Hospital and Bradford Royal Infirmary services on one site.
Under the proposals, Airedale Hospital would be rebuilt on the current site with the ambition of creating Europe’s first carbon-neutral hospital.
The current building is over 60 years old, making it difficult to deliver digitally-enabled care and it is not suited to meet carbon-neutral goals.
Lynfield Mount will be redeveloped, taking a ‘health campus’ approach to provide a new acute inpatient facility that integrates mental health and neurodiversity within the community.
And Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital will be brought together into a new single building.
We are excited by the proposal being submitted for three new hospitals that would revolutionise the way we deliver health and care, while also contributing to our wider regeneration and recovery plans
The hospital forms part of Bradford Council’s Core Strategy, which sets out the strategic direction to create a sustainable future for the district, which has a young and growing population.
This, coupled with the trust’s ageing estate and high maintenance costs, drives the need for strategic healthcare planning and exploring options to secure funding for future large-scale development.
The Government’s New Hospitals Programme has already announced 32 new build projects and it is now considering the latest expressions of interest for a further eight projects.
A final decision is expected to be announced by next spring.
