An MP has said he is "delighted" after the government has confirmed the rebuilding programme for West Suffolk Hospital will continue as planned after avoiding a review.

West Suffolk Hospital has been ruled out of a review of the New Hospitals Programme (NHP), meaning plans for the Bury St Edmunds facility will be unaffected by the government’s reset. 

This means works will continue works as planned, pending any outstanding funding approvals.

Following the announcement, Dr Peter Prinsley, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket MP, said: "I am delighted to hear from the new Labour government that the the plans to rebuild the hospital are unaffected by the review of the NHP.

Dr Peter Prinsley, the new Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and StowmarketDr Peter Prinsley, the MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Image: Newsquest)

"I did have the opportunity at my very first PMQ to ask the PM if he agreed with me that the RAAC [reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete] hospitals like West Suffolk Hospital must be a priority and he did in fact agree with me and specifically named the WSH in his response.  

"This is great news for all the people who have worked so hard to bring the project to this point and for all of the people of Bury St Edmunds and west Suffolk who can now look forward to a brilliant new hospital."

West Suffolk Hospital is one of 21 that will not be in the scope of the review, with 25 others' schemes to be investigated further. 

This follows an announcement by Health Secretary Wes Streeting in mid-July when he revealed a review into the NHP and described the previous proposals to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 as “unfunded and set to a fictional timeline”.

West Suffolk HospitalWest Suffolk Hospital (Image: Newsquest)

The review was later confirmed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her speech to Parliament on July 29.

Schemes that are out of scope and will not be considered as part of the review are those with approved Full Business Cases for their main construction phase, or the seven hospitals that are wholly or mostly constructed from RAAC.

Mr Streeting said: "We inherited a New Hospital Programme that is undeliverable and unfunded. We will be honest with patients and will put the programme on a sustainable footing.

"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. This, alongside the fundamental reforms that will be introduced in our 10-year plan, will ensure we build an NHS that is fit for the future."

The outcome of the review into the other 25 hospitals will be confirmed as part of the Spending Review process.