Pause on hospital building ‘must be as short as possible’, says NHS body

Rachel Reeves announced a pause to a hospital building programme launched by the Tories in 2019. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

The pause by Rachel Reeves on plans to build 40 new hospitals “must be as short as possible” to deliver on pledges to drive down waiting lists, the NHS confederation has warned.

There was also anxiety across the political spectrum, including among Labour MPs, about what the move would mean for crumbling hospitals affected by the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) crisis.