Yesterday (Wednesday 9 April) QEH received a letter from Health Minister Karin Smyth MP which confirmed the funding available as well as the expected size of the new QEH.
Confirmation of a funding envelope of £1bn to £1.5bn will allow QEH to deliver the right size hospital for the population served by the hospital. The Government has also stated the project is expected to move into the next stage of delivery with work scheduled to begin in 2027-2028.
Commenting James Wild MP said:
“This is a very important step on the journey to deliver a new QEH for patients, staff, and our community.
“Securing funding for a new hospital has been my priority since I was elected, and I will continue working closely with the Trust to ensure the plans proceed as rapidly as possible.”
This letter provides the certainty QEH needs to press ahead with the design phase, with detailed designs already being developed following national guidance from the New Hospital Programme.
There is still a thorough process of approvals to go through before we can begin work on the new hospital.
As the programme moves into the delivery phase, construction on the multi-storey car park is expected to begin in early 2026. This key enabling project will allow for the new hospital to be built on the current main car park.
The QEH, as a Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), continues to work with the national RAAC team and New Hospital Programme to establish the implications around safety for the RAAC hospitals going beyond 2030. The Government has commissioned site reports for each Trust, and the findings are expected to be ready in summer 2025.
