Ten-year delay to hospital upgrade a 'bitter' blow

A redevelopment of an at "inadequate" maternity ward will take 15 years to complete due to funding delays

A ten-year delay to redeveloping hospital buildings that "are not fit for purpose" has been described as a "bitter" blow.

Upgrades to Musgrove Park Hospital's "inadequate" maternity ward, which originally was expected to be completed by 2030, will not be finished before 2040.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Wes Streeting confirmed that the project has been delayed and work will not start until 2033.

Peter Lewis, chief executive of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This is bitterly disappointing for the patients and families we care for."

"The continued delays make it harder to provide the care vulnerable patients deserves.

"We simply can't continue to operate in buildings that aren't fit for purpose," he said.

The decision follows a review of the Conservative's New Hospitals Programme, which the new Labour government ruled was "unfunded and undeliverable".

The impact of these delay to the works is particularly evident at Musgrove Park Hospital, where ageing infrastructure has been a significant concern for years

The government has promised £15bn in funding for healthcare redevelopment over the next five years, including Musgrove Park Hospital's improvements.

The trust's ageing infrastructure has been a long-standing issue, with parts of the hospital, including the maternity unit, more than 80 years old and suffering from leaking roofs and outdated systems.

In May 2024, the hospital's maternity unit was rated as "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission, with inspectors noting the buildings were in poor condition and required regular maintenance.

This posed an ongoing challenge for the "quality of maternity services they were able to provide", inspectors said.

Nicki Hale, who gave birth at the hospital during a heatwave in 2024, described the conditions as "unbearably hot".

She said the facilities were unsuitable for women in labour or recovery.

"It makes you wonder if women's healthcare matters as much as they say. Knowing that nothing will change for years is deeply disappointing," she added.

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has called for urgent action to ensure the safety of both patients and staff in the interim

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has expressed frustration over the delay and accused the government of failing to deliver on its promises.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset, Mr Amos called for urgent action to ensure the safety of both patients and staff in the interim.

Undeliverable

Mr Streeting said the programme his government inherited was "unfunded and undeliverable".

"Not a single new hospital was built in the past five years, and there was no credible funding plan to build forty in the next five years.

"Today we are setting out an honest, funded, and deliverable programme to rebuild our NHS," he added.