Boris Johnson promised 40 new hospitals by 2030; it now transpires that roughly half of them will not even have started by then.
Health secretary Wes Streeting has produced a new timetable for the New Hospital Programme. He promises that they will all be built. Eventually, but it is going to take rather longer than the Conservatives had said.
“The New Hospital Programme we inherited was unfunded and undeliverable,” Streeting said. “Not a single new hospital was built in the past five years, and there was no credible funding plan to build 40 in the next five years.”
He added: “When I walked into the Department of Health & 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 seven schemes already under construction (Wave 0) will continues as planned. A further 16 (Wave 1) will start between 2025 and 2029.
The nine hospitals in Wave 2 will start construction between 2030 and 2035, while the nine in wave three will have to wait until 2035-39 before they will even start.
Morag Stuart, chief programme officer for the New Hospital Programme, said: “This announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care provides certainty on the next steps for the New Hospital Programme.
“We will continue to work with local NHS organisations to deliver improvements to hospitals across England, including making best use of new technology and improving layouts – and ensuring future hospitals are designed to meet the needs of patients and staff.”
Table 1: wave 0 schemes (already under construction)
| Scheme | Cost estimate |
|---|---|
| Alumhurst Road Children’s Mental Health Unit, Dorset | £500 million or less |
| Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Dorset | £500 million or less |
| St Ann’s Hospital, Dorset | £500 million or less |
| Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester | £500 million or less |
| CEDAR Programme | Cost estimate not given [see note 1] |
| Oriel Eye Hospital | Cost estimate not given [see note 1] |
| National Rehabilitation Centre | Cost estimate not given [see note 1] |
Table 2: wave 1 schemes (to start construction between 2025 and 2030)
| Scheme | Expected construction start date (post-NHP review) | Cost estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Poole Hospital, Dorset | 2025 to 2026 | £500 million or less |
| Derriford Emergency Care Hospital, Plymouth | 2025 to 2026 | £500 million or less |
| Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital | 2025 to 2026 | £500 million or less |
| Shotley Bridge Community Hospital, Durham | 2026 to 2027 | £500 million or less |
| Milton Keynes Hospital | 2027 to 2028 | £500 million or less |
| Women and Children’s Hospital, Cornwall | 2027 to 2028 | £500 million or less |
| Hillingdon Hospital, north-west London | 2027 to 2028 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| North Manchester General Hospital | 2027 to 2028 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds (RAAC) | 2027 to 2028 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Hinchingbrooke Hospital (RAAC) | 2027 to 2028 | £501 million to £1 billion |
| James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth (RAAC) | 2027 to 2028 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn (RAAC) | 2027 to 2028 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Leighton Hospital (RAAC) | 2027 to 2028 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Airedale General Hospital (RAAC) | 2027 to 2028 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Frimley Park Hospital (RAAC) | 2028 to 2029 | £1.5 billion to £2 billion |
| Brighton 3Ts Hospital | 2026 to 2027 | Cost estimate not given [see note 1] |
Table 3: wave 2 schemes (to start construction between 2030 and 2035)
| Scheme | Expected construction start date (post-NHP review) | Cost estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds General Infirmary | 2032 to 2034 | £1.5 billion to £2 billion |
| Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, Sutton | 2032 to 2034 | £1.5 billion to £2 billion |
| Whipps Cross University Hospital, north-east London | 2032 to 2034 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow | 2032 to 2034 | £1.5 billion to £2 billion |
| Watford General Hospital | 2032 to 2034 | £1.5 billion to £2 billion |
| Leicester General Hospital Royal Infirmary | 2032 to 2034 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Kettering General Hospital | 2032 to 2034 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton | 2032 to 2034 | £501 million to £1 billion |
| Torbay Hospital | 2032 to 2034 | £501 million to £1 billion |
Table 4: wave 3 schemes (to start construction between 2035 and 2039)
| Scheme | Expected construction start date (post-NHP review) | Cost estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Charing Cross Hospital and Hammersmith Hospital, London | 2035 to 2038 | £1.5 billion to £2 billion |
| North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple | 2035 to 2038 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| Royal Lancaster Infirmary | 2035 to 2038 | £1 billion to £1.5 billion |
| St Mary’s Hospital, north-west London | 2035 to 2038 | £2 billion or more |
| Royal Preston Hospital | 2037 to 2039 | £2 billion or more |
| Queen’s Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital | 2037 to 2039 | £2 billion or more |
| Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading | 2037 to 2039 | £2 billion or more |
| Hampshire Hospitals | 2037 to 2039 | £2 billion or more |
| Eastbourne District General, Conquest Hospital and Bexhill Community Hospital | 2037 to 2039 | £1.5 billion to £2 billion |
