The Tories have admitted that eight new hospitals promised by Boris Johnson will be delayed after a decision was taken to prioritise crumbling buildings.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay admitted that some of the original facilities will not be completed by the end of the decade as focus is shifting to five hospitals deemed "not safe to operate beyond 2030".
The five hospitals - Airedale in West Yorkshire, Queen Elizabeth King’s Lynn in Norfolk, Hinchingbrooke in Cambridgeshire, Mid Cheshire Leighton in Cheshire, and Frimley Park in Surrey - were built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which deteriorates significantly.