Plans to transform local hospital services thrown into doubt

The city’s three hospitals were selected in 2020 to form part of the previous Conservative government’s 40 new hospitals pledge.

However, Mr Streeting – the new Labour government’s MP in charge of health – has announced that he had asked government officials to ‘urgently’ review the pledge, to determine whether there is the money for it and whether the 2030 target for completion was realistic.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he told MPs Labour would not ‘play fast and loose with public finances’.

He said: “It’s painfully clear that the previous government’s new hospital programme, that said they would deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030, is not deliverable in that time frame.

"I want to see the new hospitals programme completed, but I am not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities that they deserve.

“That’s why I’ve asked officials as a matter of urgency to report to me on the degree to which the programme is funded, along with a realistic timetable for delivery.”

He accused the previous Conservative administration of creating an ‘entirely fictional timetable’ for the delivery of the new hospitals, and of setting out ‘an unfunded programme’.

A new women’s and family health hospital had been given the go-ahead at Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI), with a new, state-of-the-art building to be built on the site to house it.

Also on the cards was a dedicated children’s hospital created in a newly-refurbished and expanded Kensington Building.

The midwifery-led maternity unit, currently based at St Mary’s, in Melton, was expected to move to Leicester General. Its home would be in the Coleman Centre, which would undergo a renovation.

Responding to Mr Streeting’s announcement, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust deputy chief executive Simon Barton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he was hopeful the money would still be forthcoming, and encouraged the government to pick up the pace with the programme.

He said: “(We are) excited and hopeful that a new government will support increasing pace on this programme to deliver this key element in our plans to transform healthcare delivery for the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in line with our strategy.

“We are working closely with the national New Hospitals Programme on key details around funding and design requirements.

"The advice which Secretary of State Wes Streeting has requested about the national programme will be provided by the Department of Health and Social Care with input from NHS England.”

However, Leicester Liberal Democrat councillor Zuffar Haq, who is a prominent campaigner around healthcare locally and sits on the joint Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Health Scrutiny Committee, was less convinced the programme would be seen through to the end. He said: “I don’t think it will happen now. [Or at least], it will be another few years.

“That has implications for Leicester, particularly for the maternity unit which is really overstretched. The new maternity unit has been on the card for around 20 years and we’ve just never had it.”