New hospitals: Funding pledge falls short of what’s needed, say experts

The government’s plan to build or refurbish 40 hospitals in England will fall short of what is required without substantial extra investment, healthcare leaders have warned.

On 30 September the prime minister announced a £3.7bn (€4.1bn; $4.8bn) allocation for 40 hospitals to be built by 2030, under the government’s health infrastructure plan.1

But only £1.6bn of this is new money. The remainder has already been announced by ministers, including £850m last year to upgrade outdated facilities and equipment at 20 hospitals.

The money will fund six hospital building projects being undertaken between now and 2025 and a further 21 schemes …