Government refuses to speed up hospital rebuild

An elected mayor has criticised the government's decision not to bring forward a major hospital rebuild.

Peter Taylor, the Liberal Democrat mayor of Watford, said he had been told there were "no plans" to prioritise the project at the town's general hospital.

He said the news was "incredibly disappointing" as a health minister had said last year that it would happen "as soon as possible".

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said a "proper funding plan" had now been put in place, "alongside an honest, realistic timetable".

The rebuild of the hospital was one of the projects championed in 2019 by the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as part of the £400m New Hospital Programme (NHP).

The Labour government has since said the programme was not funded by Johnson's administration and needed to be reviewed.

The new buildings at Watford were due to open by 2030, but the latest estimate suggested spades would hit the ground at some point between 2032 and 2034, with completion expected in 2038.

Enabling work costing £12m got under way in March, with the removal of some temporary buildings, but there is no sign of the main construction phase starting.

Taylor said he wrote to health minister, Karin Smyth, urging her to provide funding.

However, an unnamed official from the DHSC replied to the letter, stating that projects at seven hospitals built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), were being prioritised and there were currently no plans to bring the Watford scheme forward.

The letter added that the NHP would continue to ensure that the schemes being delivered are the most urgent and relevant.

Taylor said: "This is an incredibly disappointing response from the minister.

"The government keeps moving the goalposts while Watford residents are forced to wait longer and longer for their hospital to be upgraded. It's unacceptable."

A DHSC spokesperson said: "The New Hospital Programme this government inherited was undeliverable, with funding due to run out in March 2025.

"A proper funding plan has now been put in place, alongside an honest, realistic timetable, which will put us back on track to deliver the rebuild of Watford General Hospital. We will work closely with the trust as we progress the scheme.

"In the meantime, we have also allocated £1bn to address the backlog of critical NHS maintenance and repairs to help ensure hospitals are safe and sustainable."

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