NHS Confederation responds to reports some New Hospital Programme projects will not be delivered by 2030

Responding to the reports that some New Hospital Programme projects will not be delivered by 2030 as planned, Matthew Taylor chief executive of the NHS Confederation said:

"The ongoing pressure on public finances means this news will not come as a surprise to NHS leaders. Following the increase to wider NHS funding announced at the Autumn Budget and the New Hospital Programme's spiralling costs, the health service inevitably has to shoulder some of the difficult financial decisions facing government.

"For those awaiting further funding for capital projects under the New Hospital Programme, this news is of course very disappointing and will leave works half-complete for longer in a number of places. Our affected members will be keen to see the detail and understand what it means for their services.

"The scale of the capital challenges facing the NHS - laid bare in Lord Darzi’s investigation published in September - means that the New Hospital Programme could never have provided the solution on its own.

"Ahead of the Spending Review, NHS leaders hope the government will consider the bigger picture on capital, and particularly how changes to the way capital funding is allocated could ensure more efficient and effective spending to support its three shifts for the NHS.

"9 in 10 NHS leaders say a lack of investment in capital over previous years is undermining their ability to tackle the elective backlog. In order to deliver on their pledge to cut waiting times, government will need to improve how capital funding is allocated to, and accessed by NHS services."