Start of construction to rebuild hospital delayed

Clinical spaces at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital have been closed because the ceilings were unstable

Work to rebuild a hospital where the roof is propped up by 2,400 wooden and steel posts will take longer than planned, the government has said.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed plans to rebuild Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King's Lynn, Norfolk, but the start date for construction has been pushed back to 2027/28, which means it will not be open until 2032/33.

The hospital building requires replacing by 2030 after large areas were found to have been built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which is crumbling.

Patient groups said the delay was worrying, but Streeting said "if we can go faster, we will go faster".

Chief executive Alice Webster said the QEH welcomed the "clear" announcement by government

The QEH and James Paget Hospital (JPH) in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk, have both been affected by Raac.

While the two facilities are in the government's first tranche of hospital rebuilds - with the projects costing between £1bn and £1.5bn - the construction has been delayed.

The QEH had previously stated that work on a new multi-storey car park would begin in "early 2025".

Alice Webster, the chief executive of the QEH, said that following the health secretary's comments the hospital now has a "clear, structured pathway" towards a rebuild.

She added: "As a Raac hospital the safety of our current building remains our priority and our fail-safe programme is progressing well.

"We continue to work with the National Hospital Programme on the details of our programme to open a new QEH as quickly as possible."

James Paget Hospital told the BBC: "We continue to work with the national New Hospital Programme on the timeline for completing construction of its new hospital, now confirmed to commence 2027/28.

"We have completed over 50% of work to secure Raac-affected areas across our current hospital estate, and will work with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to manage the safety of RAAC during the construction of our new hospital."

Alex Stewart, the CEO of patients group Healthwatch Norfolk, said: "Whilst Healthwatch are very relieved that the new build is still going ahead, it is disappointing for patients, carers and staff that yet another delay has been announced.

"Healthwatch are also concerned that delays will result in increased costs for the building works and any additional infrastructure that maybe required."

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, James Wild, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, said: "[The health secretary] said that he was working at pace to rebuild QEH, so will he instruct the NHS to expedite the business case approvals for the new multi-storey car park, which is the key enabling project, and will he commit to the 2030 deadline, which is the end of life of the hospital?"

Streeting responded that the QEH rebuild faced a particular "challenge" because of the presence of Raac concrete.

He added: "I can confirm that the programme will start construction in 2027/28.

"It is due to complete in 2032/3 but will be prioritised for expedition as a Raac scheme. If we can go faster, we will."