'Don't slow hospital rebuild' - NHS trust's plea

Plans to rebuild West Suffolk Hospital were approved in 2022

An NHS trust has urged the government not to "inadvertently slow the momentum" as it aims to build a new hospital.

West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds was one of 40 hospitals previously earmarked for a rebuild by 2030 by the previous Conservative government.

But Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told Parliament he believed the new hospital programme was "not deliverable in that timeframe".

A spokesman for the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) said it remained on target to deliver a replacement hospital, adding that "great progress" had already been made.

Plans for the new hospital include therapeutic gardens and parking

Mr Streeting told Parliament he was still in support of delivering the new hospitals.

However he did not want to give the public "false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities they deserved".

West Suffolk Hospital was built in the 1970s and has structural defects associated with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) used in its roof and walls.

Plans for its rebuild were approved in 2022 despite concerns of loss of habitats in the area.

Plea to health secretary

Gary Norgate, WSFT's new hospital programme director, said the trust was pleased to hear of Mr Streeting's "continued support".

He said: "The trust has been making great progress with our plans to build a replacement hospital, with archaeological surveys, buffer tree planting and the construction of a temporary access road either complete or very advanced.

"We remain on target to deliver the replacement hospital by the end of 2030 and urge the secretary of state to ensure that reviews of the national programme do not inadvertently slow the momentum created within local schemes, particularly those replacing aged RAAC estate."

'Disappointing'

Peter Prinsley, the new Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, said: "I think not reconstructing these hospitals is not an option, they certainly will need to be done."

Mr Prinsley, who is also an ear, nose and throat doctor at the James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth, added: "It's a bit disappointing frankly, but we have to be realistic about what can be achieved in the time that has been stated.

"The last government said they would put up these 40 new hospitals and by the time they have left office as far as I can see very little progress has been made."

Mr Prinsley said he was sure West Suffolk Hospital would be rebuilt, regardless of the time frame.

West Suffolk Hospital was built in the 1970s and was found to have RAAC in its walls and roof

'Crumbling hospitals'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The NHS is broken, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the state of some of our crumbling hospitals.

"Every community deserves hospitals and healthcare facilities fit for the future," they added.

"The health and social care secretary has asked for an urgent report on the degree to which the New Hospital Programme is funded and a realistic timetable for delivery.

"He will consider this carefully then report back to patients, clinicians, and local communities."