Propped-up hospitals in the East of England to be rebuilt by 2030

Two propped-up hospitals in the East of England are to be completely rebuilt by 2030 under a £20bn government pledge.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn and Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon are among five hospitals to be added to the New Hospital Programme.

Large areas of both hospitals are held up by hundreds of temporary props.

Health Secretary Steven Barclay confirmed that all five hospitals were being prioritised because they were "in pressing need of repair".

He said he accepted "in full the independent assessment that these hospitals are not safe to operate beyond 2030."

Rebuilding work at Milton Keynes and Kettering General Hospital remained on track for completion by 2030, he told the Commons on Thursday, as well as the West Suffolk Hospital and the James Paget Hospital.

The five additional hospitals all contained "significant amounts" of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), Mr Barclay said.

The lightweight material was used to construct parts of the NHS estate between the 1960s and the 1980s.

Mr Barclay said that since 2020, when 40 schemes were announced as part of the new hospitals programme, "we have learned more about the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete".

"We now know that RAAC has a limited lifespan, with difficult and dangerous consequences for the people who rely on or work in those hospitals," he said.

He said that work might not be completed on seven others named in the original cohort.

The roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital - which was built in 1980 - is held up by 4,394 props across 56 areas of the hospital.

It has meant the closure of Elm Ward - as well as four of its seven operating theatres.

A risk assessment for Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire also found levels of concern over the use of RAAC.

Liz Truss, the former prime minister and Conservative MP for South West Norfolk, welcomed plans to replace the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn.

She told the Commons: "As we know the hospital is in a poor state.

"Parts of it are being held up by stilts. The concrete is crumbling and this announcement will come as a huge relief to local residents and will be extremely welcome."

Shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, accused Mr Barclay of "overpromising and underdelivering".

"What a relief to those communities that finally the Secretary of State has come forward to confirm that they will at least be built," he said, adding: "I hope that they will do so at speed so that we can make sure that this at least one group of hospitals that really is built by 2030."

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