The promise made by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019 to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 is now facing significant delays, with work on some of the hospitals not expected to begin until 2039. This new timeline has raised serious concerns, especially given the deteriorating state of many of the hospitals involved. The revised cost of completing these hospitals has soared from £20 billion to nearly £50 billion, an increase attributed to years of minimal progress and rising construction costs. These delays are not just a matter of inconvenience, but have led to fears of catastrophic failure for some of the existing hospitals, with many of their buildings in desperate need of replacement.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, provided an updated timeline in which construction will commence on some hospitals between 2025 and 2030, but for many, the wait will extend beyond 2035 and into the late 2030s. Hospitals, including St Mary’s in west London, which is already plagued by 180-year-old infrastructure, and the emergency care facility in Sutton, will face further delays. The staff and patients at these hospitals are already struggling with the substandard conditions, and healthcare professionals have expressed deep concerns over the sustainability of continuing in these crumbling facilities. Hospital bosses are now warning that some sites may not survive long enough for the new buildings to replace them.
Prof Tim Orchard, CEO of Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust, which oversees St Mary’s hospital, voiced frustration over the delay, calling the situation devastating. The 180-year-old sections of St Mary’s hospital have become hazardous to both staff and patients. Meanwhile, Dr James Marsh, deputy CEO of a hospital group in south London, pointed out that part of the Sutton hospital had already been condemned, and other areas are close to becoming unsafe. The continued delay in the construction of a new emergency care hospital could leave the existing hospital facing even greater safety concerns.
This issue has sparked fierce criticism from all political corners. Streeting directly blamed the previous Conservative governments for the delays and the underfunding of the project, calling it a “work of fiction” and a broken promise. He acknowledged that the new timetable might disappoint patients in some parts of the country, but emphasized that it was a necessary step toward creating a realistic, achievable plan. Streeting suggested that the promise of 40 new hospitals had always been an unattainable goal under the Tories, with many communities now facing the consequences of unfulfilled promises.
The revised plans now include seven “wave zero” projects, which are already well into construction and are expected to be completed by 2028. These include critical replacements of hospitals built with RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete), a material that has become dangerously unstable. Another seven projects are slated to start between 2025 and 2030, while others will be delayed until 2035-39. These hospitals are desperately needed to replace aging, dangerous facilities that are rapidly falling apart. As a result, many healthcare providers have been forced to develop contingency plans for treating patients in temporary facilities until their new hospitals are ready.
The new timetable has also been criticized for being overly optimistic in terms of the funding required. The cost of delivering these new hospitals has escalated sharply, with the revised estimate reaching £48.7 billion—up from the £20 billion figure suggested in 2023. The total amount spent by the Conservative government on the program so far stands at only £3.7 billion. Labour has pledged to allocate an additional £15 billion per year for the three remaining waves of the project, with the goal of making the new hospitals a reality between 2025 and 2039. Streeting has stated that the revised schedule is a “serious, credible plan” that will ensure the NHS receives the facilities it needs.
In contrast, Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for health and social care, accused Labour of a “double betrayal” of the public. She condemned both the Conservative promises, which she said were never intended to be kept, and Labour’s revised plans, which she argued failed to deliver timely improvements for the nation’s hospitals. Morgan’s criticism was particularly focused on the way the Labour government has presented these new plans, arguing that it demonstrated an “outrageous disregard for patients” and a failure to properly prioritize healthcare.
The long delays and rising costs of the hospital building program highlight the broader challenges facing the UK’s healthcare system. As the country’s population continues to grow, and the need for modern healthcare facilities becomes more pressing, it is clear that substantial investment in infrastructure is necessary to ensure that the NHS can continue to meet the needs of its patients. However, the setbacks in this ambitious hospital building program suggest that political promises, often driven by the need to win public approval, are not always enough to address the deep-seated problems facing the NHS.
The rising costs associated with the hospital program have raised questions about how the government will fund these projects. As healthcare budgets tighten and the demand for services increases, it remains unclear how the government will balance the needs of the NHS with other public spending priorities. There are also concerns about the impact of these delays on the workforce, with hospital staff already working under tremendous pressure to provide care in outdated and unsafe environments. The challenge of upgrading the nation’s hospitals while ensuring that the NHS remains adequately staffed and equipped will require careful planning, transparency, and long-term investment.
While the revised timetable offers a glimmer of hope that new hospitals will eventually be built, the reality of the situation remains sobering. Thousands of patients continue to receive care in outdated, unsafe facilities, and the workers who provide this care face increasingly difficult working conditions. The new schedule offers a chance for the government to deliver on its promises, but the question remains whether it will be enough to meet the growing demands of the healthcare system.
Ultimately, the delays and rising costs of the hospital building program serve as a stark reminder of the importance of realistic, achievable promises in the realm of public policy. It also highlights the need for a coherent long-term strategy to modernize the country’s healthcare infrastructure and ensure that all citizens have access to safe, high-quality care. Only time will tell whether the latest efforts will lead to tangible improvements or whether the cycle of broken promises will continue to plague the NHS in the years to come.
