Leeds ‘ready to go’ as Govt greenlights health spend

Plans for a new adult hospital, a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital and the UK’s largest single-site facility can now proceed, the health secretary confirmed.

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday 25 May, Steve Barclay reaffirmed the government’s commitment to its manifesto pledge of 40 new hospitals by 2030.

Leeds General Infirmary, on Great George Street, is one five sites nationwide to be tackled with priority in the New Hospital Programme, due to the limited life-span of the concrete systems used in the original construction of some of its buildings.

Plans by architect BDP were revealed in summer 2021, at which point the 990,000 sq ft project was estimated as costing around £450m.

Barclay said: “These five hospitals are in pressing need of repair and are being prioritised so patients and staff can benefit from major new hospital buildings, equipped with the latest technology.

“On top of this I’m strengthening our New Hospital Programme by today confirming that it is expected to represent more than £20bn of new investment in hospital infrastructure.

“As we approach the 75th anniversary of our fantastic NHS, this extra investment will ensure it can care for patients for decades to come and help cut waiting lists so they get the treatment they need quicker.”

In response, Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We’re delighted by the announcement today by the Secretary of State for Health that confirms the New Hospitals Programme cohort 3 schemes, of which Leeds is one, are fully funded and will be delivered by 2030.This is fantastic news for the people of Leeds and our wider region.

“Our new hospital scheme includes plans for a new adult’s hospital, a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital and the UK’s largest single-site maternity centre. The new development will be a catalyst to regenerate part of the city centre, creating an Innovation Village that will generate 4,000 new jobs and provide an economic boost of almost £13bn to our region.

“Our enabling works are already complete and we have secured outline planning permission which puts us in a strong position and ready to go.

“The LGI site is a complex, landlocked, triangular site in the city-centre which presents numerous design and build challenges and we have developed robust plans throughout our design process to manage these. We will now continue to work with the New Hospital Programme team to understand next steps and agree a funding and delivery timeline.

“We hope today’s announcement means we can commence construction of our fantastic new facilities as soon as possible.”