Eighty % of the 40 new hospitals promised by the Conservatives in 2019 both wouldn’t have a completion date or are unlikely to be completed by the following normal election, in response to a Sky News investigation.
The new hospitals’ pledge, a key plank of Boris Johnson‘s 2019 election manifesto, promised 40 new hospitals by the tip of this decade. But a Sky News investigation, carried out over the course of the yr, has revealed a programme beneath acute strain.
Seven of the 40 hospitals nonetheless wouldn’t have a completion date, with one other 25 not anticipated to be completed till at the very least 2024, the yr of the following normal election, Freedom of Information requests submitted by Sky News revealed.
The lack of progress has drawn criticism from Labour, with shadow well being secretary Wes Streeting voicing considerations that the brand new Conservative prime minister would possibly quietly ditch this key pledge after they take over from Mr Johnson in September.
“There’s no sign of these 40 new hospitals. The only place they seem to exist is in Boris Johnson’s imagination,” Mr Streeting instructed Sky News.
“It’s striking that neither Rishi Sunak nor Liz Truss are talking about 40 new hospitals either because they know that they can’t be delivered, won’t be delivered.”
The authorities insists they are going to be. In an announcement, Health Secretary Steve Barclay stated that they may ship by 2030, and so they have been “working tirelessly with NHS partners on their building plans”.
“The hospitals will provide patients and staff with brand new, state-of-the-art facilities, ensuring people get the right care when and where they need it. This will help us beat the COVID backlog,” he added.
But, over the previous six months alone, deadlines for a number of the hospitals have slipped. When Sky News began its investigation final December, the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust stated its new London hospital was set for completion in 2024-2026.
The new hospital is no longer on account of be prepared “until 2027 at the earliest”.
Another, the Royal Cornwall Hospital Children’s hospital, was initially anticipated to finish between 2024 and 2026. That has now shifted to between 2026 and 2028.
Others are nonetheless awaiting approval of what’s generally known as their “Outline Business Case” – they’ve submitted plans, however haven’t but had them confirmed. Final plans, programmes and funding are solely settled as soon as a full enterprise case has been reviewed and agreed.
Waiting for a begin date
Julian Hartley, chief government of Leeds Teaching Hospitals, instructed Sky News in an unique interview that the Leeds NHS Trust is anticipating a serious new medical constructing at its web site, however remains to be ready for remaining plans to be signed off and for constructing work to start.
“We don’t have an actual start date yet because we are waiting for the green light from government for the business case on the overall development,” he stated.
“We are very keen to move, and we’ve done a lot of work to prepare and do all of the enabling works ahead of time so that we are in a position to move as quickly as possible.”
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Harlow, Essex, is because of obtain a complete new hospital. But it too is ready for approval.
The Conservative MP for Harlow, Robert Halfon, stated: “The prime minister came to Harlow in October 2019 to announce the new hospital. It has been confirmed on the floor of the House of Commons by ministers and the PM on numerous occasions over the past year.
“I’m completely assured that Harlow can have a brand new hospital. I anticipate a remaining announcement by the tip of the yr, if not earlier than. Sadly the two-year pandemic has interrupted progress of the hospital constructing programme.”
In the PM’s own constituency of Uxbridge, the promised new hospital is not expected to complete until 2028. Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has not yet submitted its business case and no construction has begun.
Material prices, Ukraine and labour shortages
Of the 40 new hospitals Sky News contacted, one has been completed and constructing work has began at seven. Construction has not but begun on the different 32.
The 2019 Conservative manifesto talked of getting “begun work on building 40 new hospitals across the country”. In October 2019, on the Conservative Party convention, Mr Johnson promised to construct “40 new hospitals”. But nearly three years on – only a few have begun that course of.
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors cites present market circumstances that are slowing development efforts throughout the trade.
In an announcement reflecting on Sky News’ findings and their newest market sentiment survey, the institute stated: “Construction workloads are high at the moment in the UK [but] they are being impeded by material costs, labour shortages, lack of skilled tradespeople, and macro effects, such as the war in Ukraine.
“Material prices have on common risen by round 25% over the previous 12 months and are projected to proceed growing, and labour prices are additionally seen as prone to rise reflecting close to document emptiness charges throughout the trade.”
“Some of our respondents additionally cite public sector tasks focusing much less on sustainability as price turns into an important issue.”
Is £3.7bn enough?
There are also questions over the funding of the programme. The government originally committed £3.7bn for the 40 new hospitals programme.
But that funding only supports activity until 2025, and no further funding has yet been confirmed by the Treasury, despite the majority of hospitals telling Sky News they either will not complete until after 2025 or have not been allocated funding.
The Department for Health and Social Care’s “Major Projects Portfolio” from March 2021 states the department is “nonetheless in dialogue with the Treasury about complete life prices, because the programme doesn’t but have a confirmed funding envelope past 2025”.
Health organisations estimate the cost of 40 whole new hospital buildings would in fact well exceed the committed £3.7bn.
Elaine Kelly, from healthcare charity The Health Foundation, said: “NHS Providers estimates the price of constructing a mid-sized hospital to be round £500m, so the price of constructing 40 utterly new mid-sized hospitals can be within the area of £20bn – not the £3.7bn put aside for the Hospital Building Programme.
“Delivering on the programme would cost considerably more than the funds committed to date.
“With 80% of tasks but to get beneath approach, extra money can be required after the funding already introduced runs out in 2025.”
When Sky News put this to the Treasury, it said: “The authorities units departmental budgets by way of spending critiques. Spending Review 2021 set departmental budgets as much as 2024-25. All departmental budgets for years past 2024-25 shall be topic to the following spending evaluate.”
The National Audit Office is also now set to review the programme’s “worth for cash”. It told Sky News: “We have plans in place to start out a price for cash evaluate of the Department of Health and Social Care’s New Hospitals Programme later this yr and to report our findings throughout 2023.”
Not completely new hospitals
Sky News requested every NHS belief what they’re anticipating to be constructed. Less than a 3rd of the 40 hospitals got here again to say they’re anticipating a complete new hospital constructing to be constructed, as most would possibly assume with the definition of “new hospital”.
The majority both should not but clear precisely which class of latest constructing they fall into, or are solely anticipating new wings to current hospitals, a serious new medical constructing on an current web site, or main refurbishments.
Responding to our findings, Rory Deighton, senior acute lead on the NHS Confederation, the umbrella physique for organisations that fee and supply NHS companies, stated: “This shows what leaders across the NHS know – 40 new hospitals will not be built by the next election.
“The two candidates to be the following prime minister have to stage truthfully with the general public about what is required for the NHS reasonably than counting on repeating myths and political rhetoric.”
NHS Providers, the body for NHS acute, ambulance, community and mental health services, point to the need for the government to deliver.
Saffron Cordery, NHS Providers’ interim chief executive, said: “Delays are pushing up prices and denting employees morale. Trust leaders are annoyed that most of the advantages for sufferers and communities which they’ve deliberate for are dealing with expensive delays.”
Source: information.sky.com”