Hospital rebuild can go ahead, government confirms

Plans to redevelop Leighton Hospital in Crewe were unveiled almost four years ago

A multi-million pound project to rebuild a hospital can go ahead, the government has confirmed.

Plans to redevelop Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire, were thrown into doubt after a review of the New Hospital Programme was announced as part of a drive to save money.

The project had been approved last year after Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHT) submitted a bid for funding for the scheme, which was estimated to cost more than £700 million.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed on Friday that it was one of 21 projects that would not be affected by the review.

It said the sites chosen were those with full business cases approved or that were wholly or mostly constructed using Raac, a type of concrete prone to collapse as it ages.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Patient safety is our priority, so Raac-affected hospitals, alongside those where the full business cases are already approved, will not form part of the review and will continue as planned.”

MCHT is hoping to create a "world class" campus at Leighton

Leighton Hospital was built in the 1970s and 60% of its structures contain Raac, which has a lifespan of about 30 years.

In 2023, MCHT said more than £55m had been spent on stabilisation and repair work at Leighton Hospital, with another £29m budgeted for the current financial year.

The trust previously said the rebuilding project would create a "world-class" health and care campus for the local community and is hoping for it to be completed by 2030.