The ambitious rebuild of North Manchester General Hospital has been confirmed to remain as part of the government’s pledge to build new hospitals amid immense pressure on the NHS.
But the city’s leader has warned there is ‘no room for further delay’. Concerns continue that there has been no further detail on when the rebuild will begin and exactly how much funding the project will get from the government’s £20bn pot to make it happen.
The government pledged to rebuild the crumbling North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) four years ago – one of ‘40 new hospitals’ promised by Boris Johnson in the 2019 Tory manifesto and repeated many times by the then Prime Minister following his election victory.
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The trust which runs the hospital, alongside Manchester Council, drew up multimillion pound plans for a huge redevelopment but spent years 'awaiting a decision from central government' on the scheme. Discussions were held at the highest level between the Treasury, the Department of Health, the council and the city’s devolved heath powers as Greater Manchester tried to impress upon the government how badly the Victorian estate needed replacing.
Earlier this year, the M.E.N. reported how theatres at the Manchester hospital were closed for over a month after a ceiling collapsed, an MP said.
Today, May 25, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that North Manchester General Hospital remains among the large-scale projects which will receive part of a £20bn pot of funding to complete their builds by 2030. The hospital - which serves a population with some of the highest rates nationally of certain illnesses, including heart disease and asthma - has designs for a cutting edge ‘health campus’ which promises to change the standard of living of that part of the city, including affordable homes and accommodation for hospital staff.
Children born in north Manchester can expect to live five years less than those born elsewhere in the UK. Life expectancy is below 60 years for both men and women, who live nine fewer years in good health than the England average.
It was announced in October 2020 that NMGH would be one of 40 hospitals across the UK to share a slice of a £3.7bn NHS cash injection. The following month the Manchester Evening News reported that a 'once in a generation' £600m transformation of the hospital had moved a step closer with the publication of ambitious plans.
A masterplan for the site which included a new acute hospital, mental health hospital and multi-storey car park as well as affordable homes and accommodation for hospital staff were made public by the Manchester University Foundation Trust (MFT) which runs the hospital.
In February last year, work was beginning on the new 980 space multi-storey car park and cycle hub in the project’s ‘first major construction milestone' which was now been completed.
Today, health secretary Steve Barclay gave an update to the House of Commons on the ‘40 new hospitals’ pledge, named the New Hospitals Programme by government. It restates that North Manchester General will be among the developments to get government funding, aiming to complete by 2030.
But health leaders in Manchester have long baulked at the slow progress of the project as they have waited years for the green light from Whitehall. The final plans, timings and funding for the sweeping redevelopment of the Crumpsall site are all dependent on a business case for the project being 'reviewed and agreed.'
Mark Cubbon, group chief executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs North Manchester General Hospital, said: “We very much welcome today’s decision by the Department of Health and Social Care which confirmed funding for all Cohort 3 projects in the New Hospital Programme, including North Manchester General Hospital. This is fantastic news for all our teams, our patients and the communities which we serve.
“We are awaiting further details on progressing our development of a full business case for this vital healthcare facility, but we hope to get going as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have been working closely with the NHP and Manchester City Council on the scheme and are currently on site with enabling works, including completion of a 980-space multi-storey car park and cycle hub.”
Meanwhile, Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council, warned the government must commit further - including finalising key dates and how much funding North Manchester General will receive - so work can finally get underway, saying : "The transformation of North Manchester General Hospital, which we have long campaigned for, is desperately needed now. Not only will it provide world class health facilities for one of the parts of the city which needs them most, replacing a dilapidated and in part Victorian estate, it will also be a key ingredient in ambitious health-led plans to regenerate the wider area.
"While it is encouraging that the Government has confirmed that a new North Manchester General Hospital remains part of its New Hospital Programme we were promised this by then-PM Boris Johnson back in 2019, and promised it quickly, and we are still awaiting news of when it will be completed and funding details. There is no room for further delay."
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