Crumbling hospital's rebuild will go ahead

Plans to rebuild a crumbling hospital near Keighley will go ahead, the government has confirmed.

A new Airedale Hospital had been put in doubt because of a review of spending by the new Labour government.

However, the Department of Health (DoH) confirmed the hospital was no longer included in the review.

It is one of seven hospital projects which will now be prioritised because their current buildings contain potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. (RAAC).

The rebuild work at Airedale will now proceed as planned, pending funding once the final business case is approved.

Hospital bosses said they were "delighted to have the confirmation" and hoped to have spades in the ground in early 2025.

"Now everybody can remain focused on the work at hand, so that we can get that new hospital up and up and running," said Foluke Ajayi, chief executive of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.

Ms Ajayi explained that behind-the-scenes work had continued, including how services could be maintained during the rebuild.

The hospital will be rebuilt entirely on its current site, although alternatives were considered.

It will include a new energy centre and multi-storey car park.

Keighley and Ilkley's Conservative MP Robbie Moore said it was "great news".

He said he had written to new Health Secretary Wes Streeting in July criticising the decision to put Airedale under review in the first place.

"My role will now be to ensure the works are completed by 2030, as previously announced," he said.

Mr Streeting said: “Patient safety is our priority, so RAAC-affected hospitals, alongside those where the Full Business Cases is already approved, will not form part of the review and will continue as planned.

“We are reassessing the rest of the programme to ensure every scheme has clear evidence of how it will be funded alongside a realistic timeline for delivery."

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