A Suffolk hospital trust has welcomed the news that a rebuild for their facility will continue as planned after avoiding a government review.
West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds has been ruled out of a review of the New Hospitals Programme (NHP), meaning plans for its rebuild will be unaffected by the government’s reset and works will go ahead, pending any outstanding funding approvals.
After the announcement on Friday, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, Dr Ewen Cameron, said: "The Trust welcomes the government’s announcement today to prioritise the replacement of RAAC hospitals, such as West Suffolk Hospital, which they’ve confirmed to be outside of the scope of the current New Hospital Programme review.
"This is good news for our patients, staff and communities in and around west Suffolk.
"We continue progressing our plans to deliver a replacement West Suffolk Hospital on the adjacent Hardwick Manor site in Bury St Edmunds.
"Working closely with the government’s New Hospital Programme team, we will ensure the project is completed in the most effective way."
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”.
The review was later confirmed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her speech to Parliament on July 29.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it remains on track to deliver the new hospital on Hardwick Manor by 2030.
The new site has been acquired, outline planning permission secured and enabling works has commenced.
The trust said it is currently working on the outline business case and will continue to monitor and maintain the existing hospital to keep patients and staff safe.
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