Ten-year hospital delays 'not ideal'

The construction of the new Royal Lancaster Infirmary site has been delayed until at least 2035

A Labour MP has said it is "not ideal" that planned new hospitals have been delayed by up to 10 years, but claimed money for the builds had not been set aside by the previous government.

Replacement sites for Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary, which also serve communities in South Cumbria, will now be constructed between 2035 and 2039.

Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham said Labour have been "faced with delays and lack of funding" from the previous government but was adamant the plans are still going ahead.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT) said it has "real concerns" about the delay due to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary's ageing site.

The Conservatives had pledged to build 40 new hospitals across England while in power, but had not met the promise.

Now, following a funding review, the Labour government said there was only cash to prioritise replacing the "most at-risk hospitals".

Michelle Scrogham said the government would have "loved" to build the hospitals earlier

Scrogham told BBC Radio Cumbria the delay was "not the news that I was hoping for", but claimed the government has tried "to be as honest as possible" with people.

"It's not ideal, we'd have loved to have built them earlier," she said.

Liberal Democrat Tim Farron, the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP, asked the government to reconsider the timescale, adding "the longer we leave it, the more the bill cost will spiral and, I'm afraid, the less likely people will have confidence it will happen at all".

UHMBT said while it is pleased there is a "solid commitment" to building a new site, it will need to find alternative funding for Royal Lancaster Infirmary to ensure it "remains suitable to deliver high quality care to patients and offer a safe working environment".