Plans to build 40 new hospitals by 2030, announced by prime minister Boris Johnson in 2020, are “on shaky ground” according to a survey of NHS bosses.
Nearly two-thirds of NHS leaders who responded to an NHS Providers survey said delays to the programme were pushing up costs and putting the safety of patients at risk.
NHS Providers represents NHS trusts in England. Its survey came days after it emerged that the National Audit Office will launch a review into the New Hospital programme.
Half of trust leaders told the survey they doubt they have been given enough funding, while almost two in five said their schemes were behind schedule.
19th century buildings
One trust leader said that operating “21st century healthcare from 19th century buildings” was “increasingly unsustainable”. Another said that staff were “irritated” that their work during the pandemic on plans for a new hospital “appears to have been lost”.
The survey also found that almost two in five hospitals (39%) were behind schedule on their completion date. Of these, almost half (46%) have had their timescales publicly reset.
Of those hospitals behind schedule, all reported cost implications because of the delay.
‘Hopes raised’
Interim chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said: “Delays nationally and mounting concern about funding mean what was billed as the biggest hospital building programme in a generation is on shaky ground.
“Hopes and expectations have been raised. Now it’s time for the government to deliver on the prime minister’s pledge.
“Trust leaders are deeply frustrated that the benefits they expected to be able to deliver for patients and their communities are increasingly in doubt, in some cases getting further out of reach with every day that goes by.
“This is about much more than bricks and mortar. The New Hospital Programme is a fantastic opportunity to rebuild the fabric of the NHS, providing badly needed renewal for acute, mental health, community and ambulance services.”
