Government reveals which hospitals in the East will still be rebuilt and which are under review

An entrance sign at the queen elizabeth hospital
The crumbling Queen's Elizabeth Hospital is being held up by thousands of props Credit: ITV News Anglia

The government has confirmed which of the 46 hospital rebuilding programmes will still go ahead and which will remain under review.

The crumbling Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, The James Paget in Gorleston, The West Suffolk in Bury St Edmunds and Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire are among those that will still be rebuilt.

There had been uncertainty around which hospitals would be rebuilt after Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced a major review into the New Hospital Programme (NHP) in mid-July.

Mr Streeting described the previous administration’s proposals to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 as “unfunded and undeliverable".

Labour would push on with hospital rebuild, vows shadow chancellor
The fate of the Princess Alexandra Hospital remains under review Credit: ITV News Anglia

Work on the review has been ongoing ever since and today the government confirmed which of the 46 schemes under the NHP will be under review.

In the Anglia region they include:

  • Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital

  • Kettering General Hospital

  • Milton Keynes Hospital

  • Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds was built back in the 1970s and has defects associated with RAAC. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Hospitals where rebuilding plans continue, include those affected by RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) as the government said they had 'to protect patient and staff safety.'

In the East they are:

  • James Paget Hospital, Great Yarmouth

  • Hinchingbrooke Hospital

  • Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn

  • West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We inherited a New Hospital Programme that is undeliverable and unfunded.

"We will be honest with patients and will put the programme on a sustainable footing.

“Patient safety is our priority, so RAAC-affected hospitals, alongside those where the Full Business Cases is already approved, will not form part of the review and will continue as planned.

“We are reassessing the rest of the programme to ensure every scheme has clear evidence of how it will be funded alongside a realistic timeline for delivery.

"This, alongside the fundamental reforms that will be introduced in our 10-year plan, will ensure we build an NHS that is fit for the future.”

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