Shotley Bridge Hospital rebuild among 25 'new hospital' projects to be reviewed by new Labour Government
Plans for the rebuilt Shotley Bridge Hospital in Consett are to be reviewed.
by Sam Volpe · ChronicleLiveThe Government has given the go-ahead to twelve hospital rebuilds - but the planned new Shotley Bridge Hospital is not yet one of them.
The new Labour administration has confirmed that many of the hospital rebuilding projects part of the much-criticised "New Hospitals Programme" which promised 40 New Hospitals in 2019 will be subject to a spending review. 12 projects where existing buildings are heavily affected by Re-inforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), and five where a financial business case has already been approved, will go ahead has planned.
RAAC - "bubbly" concrete - is the building material behind substantial safety fears that came to a head in 2023 with, in particular, hundreds of schools affected and fears the crumbling material could cause buildings to collapse.. Seven hospitals - none in the North East - are significantly impacted.
In a letter setting out the terms of reference for a new review of spending on the new hospitals, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that the planned Shotley Bridge Hospital project will, along with 24 others, will be re-assessed.
This re-assessment will be jointly carried out by DHSC, the Treasury and NHS England - who will consider the clinical outcomes, deliverability and cost of projects, along with the condition of existing buildings. The projects will be prioritised too.
The CEDAR project which involves the renovation of much of the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust's premises - which has seen wards rebuilt including in Prudhoe and Morpeth, will be completed, the DHSC confirmed.
The Chancellor announced in July that all projects within the New Hospitals Programme promised by the previous Conservative government would be placed under a spending review.
“Central to the review is the understanding that the hospitals built primarily from Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac) need to be replaced as a priority, to protect patient and staff safety,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said in a departmental said.
The CEDAR plans at the mental health trust have already seen services moved around the area as the trust looks to revamp the space it has available. This has included the opening of the new Sycamore Unit at Northgate Park Hospital and the Ferndene Unit at Prudhoe Hospital. Wards on the old Newcastle General Hospital site will be moved to vacated space at St Nicholas' Hospital in Gosforth.
The plans for Shotley Bridge Hospital in Consett were approved by Durham County Council in March 2023, but the proposed purpose-built community health facility on Genesis Way has seen delays due to "multiple factors", said to include budget. Ahead of this year's general election the Labour Party did pledge the rebuild would happen, but it may now be subject to significant changes.
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