Conservative's 40 new hospitals pledge faces spending watchdog review

A 2019 election pledge by the Conservatives to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 is facing a review by the government's spending watchdog.

The comptroller of the National Audit Office (NAO) Gareth Davies said the office intends to launch a review this year.

Wes Streeting, shadow health secretary has called for an investigation into delays in the programme and warned of wasting taxpayer's money, accusing the Conservatives of "overpromising and underdelivering".

Streeting said that many trusts are still waiting for funds and explained that much of the work was refurbishments or alteration not "new hospitals". He said "the only place these 40 new hospitals exist is in Boris Johnson's imagination.

In their 2019 manifesto, the Conservatives said: "We will build and fund 40 new hospitals over the next 10 years" and Boris Johnson has since repeated this pledge.

However, a "new" hospital is not being defined as a "new" construction. According to Department of Health and Social Care guidance, a "new" hospital could include a whole new hospital on a new site or current NHS land; a major new clinical building on an existing site or a new wing of an existing hospital; or a major refurbishment and alteration of all but the building frame or main structure.

In a letter to Streeting, Davies said: "I can confirm that I already have plans to start a value for money review of the New Hospitals Programme later this year and to report my findings during 2023."

"I note your comments about the implications of delay for increasing costs at this time of high inflation and the matter of whether all projects truly meet the classification of 'new hospitals'."

In its annual report the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) gave the new hospitals project an "amber/red" ranking, as its delivery "is in doubt with major risks or issues apparent in a number of key areas".

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