A review of plans for 40 new hospitals could delay projects, a shadow health minister warned, as the new Health Secretary vowed not to give patients “false hope” about when they can expect more up-to-date facilities.
Wes Streeting faced questions in the Commons about the Conservatives’ £20 billion New Hospital Programme – for new and refurbished hospitals by 2030 – and told MPs he has ordered a review into the scheme’s funding and timetable.
He said: “It’s painfully clear that the previous government’s New Hospital Programme, that said they would deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030, is not deliverable in that timeframe.
“I want to see the New Hospital Programme completed but I’m not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities that they deserve.
“That’s why I’ve asked officials as a matter of urgency to report to me on the degree to which the programme is funded, along with a realistic timetable for delivery.”
In May 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care claimed “the Government is on track to deliver the manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals in England by 2030”, in line with a flagship Tory manifesto pledge made in 2019, before former prime minister Boris Johnson led his party to an 80-seat majority.
Labour backbencher Cat Smith questioned the Health Secretary about a New Hospital Programme scheme at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, which is in her Lancaster and Wyre constituency.
Mr Streeting promised to “come back to this House and back to the country with promises that we can keep and promises that the country can afford”.
Shadow health minister Caroline Johnson told the House the previous government had prepared to declare two New Hospital Programme schemes complete during the current 2024/25 financial year, with 18 more projects under construction.
“The Government are now putting this at risk by launching a review of this work, delaying those projects which are of vital importance to patients across the country,” she told MPs.
Mr Streeting replied: “On this one, I would just once again say to the party opposite that they handed over an entirely fictional timetable and an unfunded programme.
“And she might not know it, because she wasn’t there immediately prior to the election, but the shadow secretary of state (Victoria Atkins) sat right next to her knows exactly where the bodies are buried in the department, knows exactly where the unexploded bombs are.”
Tory MP James Wild raised the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, in his North West Norfolk constituency, where thousands of props are supporting the building’s roof, and urged the Government to sign off on the business case for a new hospital in the town.
Mr Streeting replied: “When it comes to Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) hospitals, they are top of my list of priorities.
“I’m extremely concerned about the dire state that the NHS estate is in.
“I do once again think it is a bit rich for Members opposite, whose government was in office only weeks ago, where they literally had – they literally had – a prime minister local to that particular hospital (Liz Truss, former MP for South West Norfolk).
“They had the chance, but don’t worry, we’ll clean up their mess.”
The previous government announced in 2023 that seven Raac-affected hospitals were priority projects in the New Hospital Programme – in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Suffolk and Surrey.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader and health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said an NHS trust in her St Albans constituency is “chomping at the bit to get going but can’t and are being held back” while a “top-down centralised approach” to repairs has affected competition in the market.
“We have the worst of all worlds at the moment,” Ms Cooper told the Commons.
Mr Streeting said: “I have discovered I have 72 new pen pals and they are all sat there on the Liberal Democrat benches and have been writing to me about a whole manner of projects.”
He added: “This isn’t just about the New Hospital Programme, important though that is – the condition of the whole NHS is poor.
“In fact, backlog maintenance, the direct cost of bringing the estate into compliance with mandatory fire safety requirements and statutory safety legislation, currently stands at £11.6 billion. That is the legacy of the last Conservative government.”
