Doncaster mayor 'disappointed' as city misses out on hospital funding

Doncaster Royal Infirmary failed in its bid to be added to a government hospitals building programme

Doncaster has missed out in the current round of funding to replace its ageing 1930s infirmary, officials said.

City of Doncaster Council and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had submitted a bid for funding for a £1.37bn redevelopment scheme.

However, Doncaster Royal Infirmary failed in its bid to be added to a government hospitals building programme.

Officials said they would continue to lobby the government.

Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones said: "I am immensely disappointed that our Doncaster bid for a new hospital has been turned down by government.

"Our bid was incredibly strong, highlighting the far-reaching benefits for health and medical provision that a state-of-the-art new hospital would bring as well as social and economic benefits for the people of our city and the region.

"We are in urgent need of a new hospital for Doncaster."

The trust and council had proposed redeveloping a brownfield site adjacent to Doncaster College.

The existing hospital, which was initially built in the 1930s, with further development and in the 1960s and 1980s, had now outgrown the site, and was routinely caring for twice as many patients as it was designed for, officials said.

Due to the hospital's age, there were also around 600 outstanding maintenance jobs across the estate, with an estimated value of £118m.

"The sheer cost of this is neither affordable nor best value for money," a spokesperson added.

Earlier on Thursday, the government announced that five hospitals deemed to be at risk of collapse because of deteriorating concrete infrastructure were to be rebuilt.

The sites have been added to the government's New Hospital Programme, which it is claimed will see 40 new hospitals built by 2030.