Work on plans for new hospitals to continue

Work will continue on plans to build brand new hospitals for Preston and Lancaster as Lancashire NHS bosses await the outcome of a government review of the schemes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.

It was revealed during last week’s budget that the ministerial reassessment of more than 40 rebuild and refurbishment projects across the country will be published in the new year.   

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ statement was the first indication of exactly when a final decision would be made about the two Lancashire facilities.   The pair were given the green light by the previous government in May 2023 – although their opening dates were pushed back from the end of the decade to the mid-2030s.

However, the new Labour administration has since said a more “realistic” and “costed” timeline is needed for the nationwide new hospitals programme. 

The Chancellor said health secretary Wes Streeting would provide “further details” of the review in the coming weeks, ahead of publication next year.  It came against the backdrop of a pledged £13.6bn increase in capital spending on the NHS over the next two years.

A spokesperson for the NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria told the LDRS:  “On 30th October 2024, during the Chancellor’s budget statement, a brief reference was made to the continuing work of the New Hospital Programme (NHP).

On 29th July 2024 the Chancellor announced a review of the NHP to ensure it had a ‘thorough, realistic and costed timetable for delivery’. Both the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTH) and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMB) NHP schemes were confirmed as within the scope of the review,

“We understand that the review has provided the opportunity to ensure the national NHP is on the soundest possible footing for delivery and that the information from the review has been fed into the Spending Review process.

“In her Autumn Budget Statement, the Chancellor confirmed that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will set out further details of his review into the NHP in the coming weeks, with a publication to follow in the new year. However, it was noted in the published budget report that there would be delivery of the NHP on a more sustainable and deliverable footing, moving swiftly to rebuild hospitals wholly or primarily built with Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete or which are in [the process of being built] – and that the remaining schemes (such as those for LTH and UHMB) will be delivered through a rolling programme of major investment, as part of the government’s commitment to providing hospital infrastructure investment.

“Whilst the review is taking place, and in the period between the review ending and the outcome being confirmed and communicated, all schemes within the NHP will be supported appropriately to continue to make progress. As soon as we are in a position to communicate anything further, we will do so.”