Pause on New Hospital Programme could provide opportunity for wider strategy, but NHS can't wait long
Responding to reports that the rollout of the New Hospital Programme will be paused due to the extent of pressures on public finances, Matthew Taylor chief executive of the NHS Confederation said:
"NHS leaders understand that there is huge pressure on public finances and that the government has difficult choices to make. But for members whose services are covered by the programme, there will be concern about further delay to its delivery.
"Pausing the programme could provide the opportunity to review the bigger picture on NHS capital, given the considerable maintenance backlog across the NHS estate. Nine in ten NHS leaders say that a lack of capital funding in recent years is undermining their ability to tackle the elective backlog and we also know that capital investment is key to improving productivity.
"Beyond the 40 hospitals selected for the programme by the previous government, many others have significant issues and services in primary care and community settings are also in desperate need of investment for their buildings and equipment. Our members want to see a wider strategy on NHS capital, as recommended last year by the Hewitt Review.
"There is already an estimated £3bn funding gap between the activity the NHS is committed to deliver this year and the funding they have been allocated to deliver it. In hospitals and other services where there are collapsing rooves, broken equipment and outdated facilities, with each day that passes without a longer-term fix more funding is having to be used to provide short-term solutions to allow for the provision of patient care to continue.
"For the government to be able to deliver on their key pledge to drive down waiting lists and ensure the NHS is fit for the future, the pause to the delivery of the New Hospitals Programme must be as short as possible and NHS leaders need clarity about timelines."
