Work on England’s last major new PFI hospital development moved a step closer this week after the scheme was given the backing of the strategic health authority (SHA).
NHS North of England has thrown its weight behind a £425m scheme to build a new Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
The development is likely to be the last high-value healthcare building funded through the controversial PFI initiative in England.
The next stage of the approval process is for the Department of Health and the Treasury to give the final go-ahead for the plans. The Trust will then announce its chosen bidder and the final design for the new hospital. Work is expected to begin on site next summer.
Helen Jackson, the hospital’s director of strategy and redevelopment, said: “Along with the overwhelming support of the people of Liverpool, our plans have received strong support from commissioners of local health services NHS Merseyside and now NHS North of England. We expect to hear from the Department of Health and Treasury within the coming weeks and we can then decide which of our final bidders, Carillion or Horizon, will be successful and will launch the design of the new hospital.”
The hospital will take four years to build and around 750 full time jobs will be created for each year of construction, along with guaranteed apprenticeships. Around 60% of these jobs will be for local people and the plan is to use as many local materials and services as possible. It is estimated construction of the new hospital will generate £240m into the local economy.
Once built, inpatients will be cared for in single bedrooms with en-suite facilities and the hospital will provide access to the very latest equipment and technology to diagnose and treat patients.
On the site of the existing hospital will be a state-of-the-art health and life sciences campus that will put Liverpool on the world stage for life sciences. This development will create up to 5,000 new high-tech and high-earning jobs and could potentially redefine Liverpool’s future economy into ‘Science City’ on a par with ‘Media City’ in Manchester.
- Companies:
- Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital
- Carillion PLC
- Horizon Construction
