Labour sparks fury as rebuild of crumbling hospitals in London delayed by up to decade

Building the 40 caller hospitals promised by the erstwhile authorities volition instrumentality astatine slightest a decennary longer than planned, the Health Secretary has said.

Wes Streeting accused the Conservatives of failing to money their government’s 2019 committedness of providing the caller facilities by 2030, saying the pledge had been “built connected the shaky instauration of mendacious hope”.

Setting retired a caller timetable, Mr Streeting said operation of the caller hospitals would proceed successful 4 “waves”, with the last portion not opening until betwixt 2035 and 2039.

The archetypal question is already nether construction, and acceptable to beryllium completed successful the adjacent 3 years.

The program includes rebuilding the 7 hospitals affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated factual (Raac), with operation enactment opening implicit the adjacent 5 years.

Mr Streeting said the caller timetable was “honest, funded and tin really beryllium delivered”.

He added: “It is simply a serious, credible program to physique the hospitals our NHS needs.”

Promising that each the caller units would beryllium delivered, Mr Streeting said helium had secured concern averaging £3 cardinal a year, which helium described arsenic portion of the largest superior concern successful the NHS since the erstwhile Labour government.

He besides announced a caller model for contracting retired operation of the caller hospitals, saying this would guarantee the caller facilities were delivered “as rapidly arsenic possible”.

The announcement follows a reappraisal of the Conservatives’ £20 cardinal New Hospitals Programme, which Mr Streeting launched soon aft taking bureau successful July, claiming the erstwhile government’s plans were undeliverable and had not been decently funded.

The Liberal Democrats accused the Government of trying to “bury atrocious news” connected the time of Donald Trump’s inauguration arsenic US president.

Helen Morgan, the party’s wellness spokesperson, said: “Instead of ducking scrutiny, the Health Secretary needs to people the afloat interaction appraisal of these delays.

“Patients person a close to cognize conscionable however astatine hazard they are, and however galore much delays they volition person to endure arsenic a effect of the Government’s decision.”