Warrington to submit bid to Government to build new hospital

It comes following an announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care that eight new hospital sites are to be built in England.

The selection process for the new NHS facilities has officially opened today, ministers have confirmed, as part of the biggest hospital building programme in a generation.

The Government says it is committed to helping the NHS build back better from Covid-19, with one of the centrepieces of this ambition being the delivery of a manifesto commitment of 40 new hospitals across England by 2030, backed by an initial £3.7billion of investment.

In October 2020, the Government named 32 hospitals which will form part of the 40 new hospitals, which Warrington missed out on.

But it is now calling for NHS trusts to submit their expressions of interest to be one of the final eight hospitals.

In confirming the town’s bid, Warrington South MP Andy Carter said: “This is very welcome news – a working group has been actively building a case for a new hospital in the town since January 2020.

“I have arranged meetings with hospital management and ministers to make the case and I have spoken to the new Health Secretary to brief him on our plans today.

Warrington to submit bid for new hospital as Government announces new build plans

“Some of the existing buildings at the Lovely Lane site date back more than 100 years and are no longer suitable for a healthcare setting – the current site is not well laid out.

“This is an opportunity to regenerate our town with a new purpose-built facility which can act as a catalyst for further town centre improvement.

“I am very much looking forward to working with the NHS trust to develop plans further.

“We have a lot more work to do, but I will do everything I can to drive this bid forward so that we can secure a new hospital for our town.”

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was approached for a comment.

Expressions of interest are invited by September, with a more detailed second-stage process due later this year ahead of a final decision expected in spring 2022.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Our plans to deliver 40 new hospitals across the country by 2030 will help us build a better NHS and transform NHS services for local communities.

“The selection process for the further eight new schemes is a huge opportunity for more areas to benefit from the biggest hospital building programme in a generation, and I encourage trusts to apply.

“We will take forward the bold and ambitious plans to improve care, level up investment and prioritise sustainable design.”

Warrington to submit bid for new hospital as Government announces new build plans

The selection process will prioritise plans for services which transform joined up care for people and provide an effective working environment for NHS staff, in line with the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan.

It will also look for fair allocations of investment to level up across regions and provide value for money, with an emphasis on mental health trusts.

Stronger and greener NHS buildings that make the most of modern methods of construction to support sustainable, greener and efficient design are also preferred.

Health minister Ed Argar added: “As we build back better from the pandemic, we are offering eight more trusts the chance to benefit from this historic undertaking.

“I look forward to seeing how our 40 new hospitals will apply lessons learned from Covid-19 and future-proof hospital design and construction.

“The investment in our NHS buildings will transform health services for millions of people for decades to come, by putting world-class patient care, staff wellbeing and sustainability first.”

All the new hospitals will benefit from being part of the Government’s nationally-led programme under the Health Infrastructure Plan, ensuring the programme delivers value for money for use of the limited national public funding envelope available.

Experience will be shared across schemes which will be built over the next decade, so they can be built as quickly as possible while prioritising standardisation, digital technology, sustainability and modern methods of construction.