Leighton Hospital rebuild to go ahead despite spending review

Hospitals built from crumbling concrete will be ‘replaced as a priority’ and spared from a spending review Rachel Reeves vowed to undertake, a letter to MPs suggests.

The Chancellor announced in July that all projects within the New Hospitals Programme promised by the previous Conservative government would be placed under a spending review.

However, seven hospitals built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) across England will not be subject to this, including Leighton Hospital in Cheshire.

That is according to a letter sent to MPs by Health Secretary Wes Streeting

“Central to the review is the understanding that the hospitals built primarily from Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac) need to be replaced as a priority, to protect patient and staff safety,” Mr Streeting’s letter said.

ALSO READ: Wes Streeting discusses Leighton Hospital rebuild with Cheshire MPs

Mid Cheshire MP Andrew Cooper met with Health Secretary Wes Streeting earlier this month (Image: Andrew Cooper)

The lightweight Raac was used in public buildings including schools and hospitals between the 1950s and 1990s, but is less durable than more traditional materials and has started to deteriorate.

Listed among the projects outside the scope of the spending review are seven hospitals earmarked for rebuilding due to the heavy presence of Raac.

Leighton was built in the 1970s and around 60 per cent of its structures contain Raac.

An outline planning application for the new Leighton Hospital will be submitted to Cheshire East Council in December, with a decision expected in spring 2025.

However, in his letter, Mr Streeting said that while the Government wanted to see the New Hospital Programme completed, he was ‘not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities they deserve’.

He insisted to MPs the programme needed to be reset to ‘put it on a sustainable footing’.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We inherited a New Hospitals 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 biggest concern, so rebuilds of hospitals built primarily from Raac, alongside those where the full business case is already approved, will continue as planned.

“Our review will provide a thorough, costed, and realistic timeline for delivery of the rest of the programme to ensure we can replace the crumbling hospital estate in England.

“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.”