Theatres at a Manchester hospital were closed for over a month after a ceiling collapsed, an MP has said. The claims come as Afzal Khan demanded answers over the progress of an ‘urgently needed’ revamp.
The government pledged to rebuild the crumbling North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) four years ago and the trust which runs it, alongside Manchester City Council have drawn up plans for a huge redevelopment but say they are still 'awaiting a decision from central government' on the scheme.
It was 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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And it is now one of eight 'pathfinder' hospitals being considered for redevelopment through the government’s New Hospitals Programme (NHP), which aims to transform 40 hospitals by 2030.
Yesterday (Tuesday) Gorton MP Afzal Khan challenged the Health Secretary in the House of Commons over the 'little progress’ that has been made on the project and asked for an urgent meeting between Steve Barclay and Manchester's council leader Bev Craig.
He also laid bare some of the issues at the 67-acre site where many of the buildings were built in the Victoria era.
"The conditions at North Manchester General Hospital are beginning to worsen," he said. “Last month, theatres were forced to close for six weeks following a ceiling collapse. It is four years since the government announced a rebuild under the new hospitals programme, but little progress has been made.
“In January, the leader of Manchester City Council wrote to the Secretary of State offering to host him to discuss the project. Will the minister commit to accepting the invitation?”
In response, Mr Barclay agreed to a meeting and reiterated the government’s commitment to the programme. He said: “Well I or a member of the ministerial team will of course meet the leader of Manchester Council to discuss this.
“But we are making progress. You’ll have seen the progress for example at Royal Liverpool, at Northern Centre for Cancer Care. I can confirm our commitment to the 40 hospitals programme and hope to say more on that shortly.”
Sharing a clip of the exchange on his Twitter Mr Khan said he was ‘pleased’ Mr Barclay had agreed to meet Ms Craig adding: “I look forward to the outcome of their meeting.”
Ms Craig said: “Thank you Afzal Khan. I look forward to meeting with Steve Barclay to discuss the urgently needed rebuild of North Manchester General in one of the poorest parts of the country. Manchester has ambitious plans to regenerate the site with world-class health facilities.”
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.
The plans, a collaboration between MFT, the city council, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning (MHCC) and the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) were then endorsed by the council’s executive committee in March 2021.
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.
However, the trust say they are still waiting for the green light from Whitehall and that the final plans, timings and funding are all dependent on a business case for the project being 'reviewed and agreed.'
In a joint statement, MFT and Manchester City Council said: "Following yesterday’s comments in Parliament, Cllr Bev Craig and the Manchester team look forward to meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss the importance of North Manchester General Hospital.
"The new health campus would play a central role in the area; with joined-up health and social care facilities, high-quality new homes, access to better education and training, and more inviting open spaces.
"It is part of an exciting vision to deliver a digitally connected hospital and modern mental health in-patient unit within a health campus located at the heart of the local community over the next 10-15 years. It will also create employment and business opportunities for people in the area and be a catalyst for comprehensive regeneration in north Manchester.
"MFT is working closely with the NHP and Manchester City Council on the scheme and enabling work had already started on site, including completion of a 980-space multi-storey car park and cycle hub.
"We are awaiting a decision from central government and final scheme plans, timing and funding will be subsequently confirmed once a full business case has been reviewed and agreed."
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