- NHS Trusts invited to bid to build eight new hospitals
- New sites will transform NHS services and help level up for
thousands of people across the country
- Forms part of biggest hospital building programme in a
generation, which will see 40 new hospitals built across UK by
2030
Hundreds of thousands of people in England will benefit from new
NHS facilities and services as ministers open the selection
process for eight new hospitals today (Thursday 15 July), as part
of the biggest hospital building programme in a generation.
The government is committed to helping the NHS build back better
from COVID-19 and one of the centrepieces of that ambition will
be delivering on the manifesto commitment of 40 new hospitals
across England by 2030, backed by an initial £3.7 billion of
investment. These will provide better care for patients, an
improved working environment for staff and help the NHS reach its
net zero carbon ambition.
Currently, the national programme comprises eight pre-existing
schemes and 40 new hospitals, totalling 48 hospitals. In October
2020, the government named 32 hospitals which will form part of
the 40 new hospitals and is now calling for NHS trusts to submit
their expressions of interest to be one of the final eight
hospitals.
Today a new ‘Our NHS Buildings’ website has also launched. It
will be the official home of the government’s major NHS
infrastructure projects across the country, including new
hospital builds and upgrades.
The website will provide regular updates for patients and staff
on the progress of local schemes, showcasing developments and
milestones at each hospital build or upgrade location, with an
interactive map.
Health and Social Care Secretary
said:
“Our plans to deliver 40 new hospitals across the country by 2030
will help us build a better NHS and transform NHS services for
local communities.
“The selection process for the further eight new schemes is a
huge opportunity for more areas to benefit from the biggest
hospital building programme in a generation, and I encourage
trusts to apply.
“We will take forward the bold and ambitious plans to improve
care, level up investment and prioritise sustainable design.”
Expressions of interest are invited by September from all mental
health, community and acute NHS trusts who wish their plans to be
considered. Later this year there will be a more detailed second
stage process for long-listed schemes, with a final decision
expected in spring 2022.
The selection process will prioritise plans for:
- services which transform joined up care for people and
provide an effective working environment for NHS staff, in line
with the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan;
- fair allocations of investment to level up across regions and
provide value for money, with an emphasis on mental health
trusts;
- stronger and greener NHS buildings that make the most of
modern methods of construction to support sustainable, greener
and efficient design.
Health Minister said:
“As we build back better from the pandemic, we are offering eight
more trusts the chance to benefit from this historic undertaking.
I look forward to seeing how our 40 new hospitals will apply
lessons learned from COVID-19 and future-proof hospital design
and construction.
“The investment in our NHS buildings will transform health
services for millions of people for decades to come, by putting
world-class patient care, staff wellbeing and sustainability
first.”
All the new hospitals will benefit from being part of the
government’s nationally led programme under the Health
Infrastructure Plan, ensuring the programme delivers value for
money for use of the limited national public funding envelope
available.
Experience will be shared across the schemes which will be built
over the next decade, so they can be built as quickly as possible
while prioritising standardisation, digital technology,
sustainability and modern methods of construction.
