The government has confirmed funding and a future roadmap of implementation for their New Hospital Programme, following a review that the government’s plan to build "40 new hospitals" by 2030 was behind schedule and without adequate investment.
The Infrastructure Project Authority (IPA) has also labelled the previous scheme "unachievable’" highlighting major issues with the schedule and budget.
In May 2023, the previous government announced that £20 billion would be funnelled into the project, but it was never delivered.
The new plan, affordable and transparent, aims to give £15 billion of new investment over consecutive five-year waves, averaging £3 billion a year. Now, the government has inherited buildings and equipment across the NHS that are in poor states, disrupting patient care and hindering staff.
Lord Darzi, in his investigation, found that the NHS was starved of funding throughout the 2010s, with £37 billion underinvestment, leaving hospitals with roofs fallen in and leaking pipes that freeze in winter.
Building a sustainable, long-lasting NHS estate is a key component of the government’s Plan for Change, which will see the health service revitalised and less time waiting for those needing an appointment. At the Budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that health capital spending in the NHS is set to increase to record levels of £13.6 billion in 2025-26.
The plan is set to deploy in waves, with Wave Zero to continue as planned. Schemes in Wave One will begin construction between 2025 and 2030, and will focus on reconstructing hospitals that with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), as these pose a huge safety risk to patients and staff. Schemes in Waves Two and Three are to follow up until the project’s completion in 2039.
Wes Streeting, health and social care secretary, said: “The New Hospital Programme we inherited was unfunded and undeliverable. Not a single new hospital was built in the past five years, and there was no credible funding plan to build forty in the next five years.
“When I walked into the Department of Health and Social Care, I was told that the funding for the New Hospitals Programme runs out in March. We were determined to put the programme on a firm footing, so we can build the new hospitals our NHS needs.
“Today we are setting out an honest, funded, and deliverable programme to rebuild our NHS.”
The New Hospital Programme comes part of the government’s wider commitment to transforming the NHS estate. Over £1 billion has been invested into tackling maintenance backlog, repairs and upgrades, while £102 million has gone towards updating GP surfers across England to rejuvenate primary care facilities.
