Stalled £350m Smethwick hospital build to resume

The Smethwick hospital was originally due to open in October, but completion has been pushed back to 2022

Construction work at a stalled £350m hospital is set to resume after a government funding pledge.

The Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick was left two-thirds finished after the collapse of construction company Carillion in January.

The government has pledged £300m towards completing the project, but it is not clear when work will resume.

Delays have meant the site has deteriorated, so work to winter-proof it is likely to begin in coming months.

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The hospital was due to be completed in October, however in June Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust said the hospital would not be open until 2022 - a target it remains positive will be met.

Work on the hospital stopped in January, when Carillion collapsed

The Trust's chief executive Toby Lewis said at the time the delays would cost an eight-figure sum.

Following the latest announcement, Mr Lewis said: "We are in a position now where we can be very confident about what happens next".

Initially a privately financed project, the Trust concluded in August that a second PFI contract would not be workable.

The Department for Health and Social Care said government funding was "the only viable option".

The unattended site has deteriorated and needs to be weather-proofed before the winter

West Midlands Metropolitan Mayor Andy Street said reaching an agreement had "taken a huge amount of effort".

"The collapse of Carillion left everybody involved in this vital project in a hugely challenging situation with no easy solutions," he said.

The 670-bed hospital is expected to replace some services from Sandwell Hospital and City Hospital in Birmingham when it is finished.