Govt report highlights Airedale Hospital risk
Mounting cost pressures and delivery risks are intensifying across the government’s £60bn New Hospital Plan, with MPs warning that around £1bn will now be spent maintaining seven structurally vulnerable sites, while major rebuilds face further delay.
A report by the Public Accounts Committee has highlighted that seven hospitals affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, including Airedale General Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire, will remain in use until at least 2032–33.
This was announced last year, when the government published an updated timeframe for the 40 new hospitals that were set to be built or refurbished by 2030 under the former Conservative government.
Airedale General Hospital, which was built in 1970 using unsafe RAAC that was only supposed to last for 30 years, was included in the list of wave 1 projects and had its construction timeline pushed back to starting in 2027-28, with estimated costs of £1-1.5bn.
This report has highlighted how the government has already spent around £500m on maintenance and mitigation works across the seven Wave 1 sites, with a further £440m committed.
The report noted that Wave 1, a £8.9bn pipeline of hospital schemes, could trigger wider delays if early projects slip.
The Public Accounts Committee noted that only 3% contingency funding has been allocated for the 2025–30 period, leaving minimal capacity to absorb cost increases or disruption.
Enabling works have yet to begin on many schemes, and the introduction of the new Hospital 2.0 model, which is not expected to be finalised until summer, adds further uncertainty.
At the same time, MPs warned that the next phase of the £60bn NHP, which includes Leeds General Infirmary, faces growing delivery risk as it approaches major construction.
Work on LGI has been pushed back until 2032-34 with estimated costs of between £1.5-2bn.
The NHP was originally announced in October 2020, and aimed to improve the efficiency of hospital construction through a centralised approach.
Previously, hospitals have been built individually by trusts. The standardised approach intends to improve budget and time issues by encouraging economies of scale, supporting engagement with the construction market, providing a blueprint for hospital designs, and improving productivity.
The committee has now urged the Government to publish annual progress updates to parliament and set out a clearer long-term investment strategy for NHS assets.
