Locals urged to take part in £1.5bn hospital survey

The existing Airedale Hospital will continue to operate during the building of its replacement on the same site

The public is being asked for their views to help shape a new billion-pound hospital scheme near Keighley.

The new facility, which will replace the current Airedale Hospital, will be built on the existing site, with services continuing at Airedale while the re-build work takes place.

The current hospital serves 220,000 people living in the Bradford and Craven districts.

The online survey, launched by the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, is looking for suggestions regarding accessibility, communal spaces, signage and the use of technology at the new hospital.

Hospital chief executive Foluke Ajayi has urged as many people as possible to take part in the survey

Foluke Ajayi is currently chief executive of the trust which runs Airedale Hospital, and will be in charge of building its replacement.

She said: "We are committed to building a hospital that serves the needs of everyone in our community.

"This latest survey builds on the raft of valuable insight we have gathered so far.

"As part of the government's New Hospital Programme, we will be using a national template called Hospital 2.0, which incorporates the latest innovations and technology.

"Combining this with the views of our patients, staff and the public will help make the most of this once-in-a lifetime opportunity, and create a hospital we can all be proud of."

She added that the trust was "excited" about the future for Airedale and urged local people to "join the conversation".

Complete rebuild

Airedale Hospital was built using the controversial material known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or Raac, which has been found to be unstable and prone to collapsing.

As such, the hospital was earmarked for a complete rebuild under the previous government's New Hospitals Programme - a decision later confirmed by the present government, following its review of the scheme.

A meeting of Bradford Council's health and social care scrutiny committee was told, in February, that work on the rebuild is expected to begin in 2028.

At the same meeting, councillors were told the scheme to replace the hospital with a new building could cost up to £1.5bn.

A report prepared for the meeting said: "A capital funding envelope of between £1bn and £1.5bn has been confirmed, recognising the need to completely rebuild the hospital."

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