Eight new hospitals to be built in England

16 Jul 2021 10:30 AM

The government yesterday announced the launch of a selection process for 8 new hospitals in England.

• NHS trusts invited to bid to build 8 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 yesterday opened the selection process for 8 new hospitals, 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 8 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 8 hospitals.

Yesterday 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 Sajid Javid yesterday 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 8 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 Edward Argar yesterday said:

As we build back better from the pandemic, we are offering 8 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.

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