Government to miss 40 new hospitals target - watchdog

The authorities is apt to miss its people to physique 40 caller hospitals by 2030, the spending watchdog has said.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said successful a study that the task had been beset by delays. It besides warned that cost-cutting and inaccurate modelling of aboriginal request could mean caller hospitals are excessively small.

The wellness section remained "firmly committed" to delivering the England gathering pledge, a spokesperson said.

But Labour called the study "damning".

The hospitals program was a Conservative manifesto committedness during the December 2019 predetermination campaign, and it was made argumentation the pursuing year.

When the wellness section officially acceptable retired the program successful October 2020, 8 infirmary operation projects already nether mode were not included successful the target. But caller authorities statements astir gathering 40 caller hospitals see these 8 projects, referred to arsenic "legacy hospitals".

And successful May, the authorities changed the scope of the strategy to see hospitals successful urgent request of repairs, including 5 judged to beryllium astatine hazard of illness due to the fact that of crumbling factual infrastructure.

Now the National Audit Office has analysed the plans and recovered that, by the explanation acceptable retired successful 2020, the people volition beryllium missed, and lone 32 volition beryllium built successful time. The NAO said the authorities has utilized a "broad" explanation of "new", which includes refurbishment of existing buildings arsenic good arsenic wholly caller hospitals.

The 32 that volition beryllium built successful clip see 24 from the archetypal caller hospitals programme, 5 that were added successful May, and 3 caller intelligence wellness hospitals.

It said a further 8 bash not number towards the archetypal explanation of "new" due to the fact that they were already nether mode erstwhile the committedness was made.

Questions person been asked for immoderate clip astir whether the programme is connected way and it is important that the watchdog has present ruled that, judged by the archetypal template, it is not.

The NAO said unit shortages mean a planned plan for a standardised infirmary has been delayed until May 2024.

It besides warned that a propulsion to conscionable the people astatine the lowest imaginable outgo - combined with optimistic forecasts astir however overmuch attraction volition beryllium extracurricular hospitals successful the aboriginal - could effect successful caller hospitals that are excessively small.

The authorities had failed to execute bully worth for money, the NAO said, arsenic it called for a reappraisal of the underlying assumptions down the plans to marque definite the caller hospitals are acceptable for purpose.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay had already told MPs successful May that immoderate of the archetypal radical included successful the caller hospitals programme mightiness not beryllium completed by 2030.

He made the admittance arsenic helium updated the department's gathering plans to woody with hospitals built with a lightweight factual that was utilized successful the 1980s and is present judged to beryllium unsafe.

But helium restated the committedness to present 40 caller hospitals by the extremity of the decade.

Gareth Davies, caput of the NAO, said the programme included "innovative plans" to amended ratio and quality. But determination are important lessons to guarantee aboriginal large projects were affordable, transparent and delivered connected time, helium said.

Sir Julian Hartley, main enforcement of NHS Providers, urged the authorities to "shift gears" to get the hospitals built and warned that costs had "spiralled owed to precocious inflation".

He said galore NHS trusts were "deeply disappointed" by delays and said the authorities "could person amended managed expectations astir the backing available, fixed the uncertainty progressive and the interaction of inflation".

Liberal Democrat lawman person Daisy Cooper said the "utterly damning study demolishes the government's claims to beryllium gathering 40 'new hospitals'".

She called connected the wellness caput to marque an urgent connection successful Parliament addressing its findings, saying "the nationalist deserves answers".

Labour's shadiness wellness caput Wes Streeting said: "The Conservatives person overpromised, under-delivered, and they've been recovered out.

"Meanwhile patients are being treated successful outdated, crumbling hospitals."

A wellness section spokesperson said: "The NAO's study acknowledges that contempt changes to the archetypal programme, 40 caller hospitals are inactive expected to beryllium delivered by 2030 and praises the programme's innovative plans to standardise infirmary construction, present efficiencies and amended quality.

"We stay firmly committed to delivering these hospitals, which are present expected to beryllium backed by implicit £20 cardinal of investment, helping to chopped waiting lists truthful radical tin get the attraction they request quicker.

"Three caller hospitals person already opened and much volition unfastened this twelvemonth truthful patients and unit tin payment from large caller infirmary buildings, equipped with the latest technology."