Work on building new Lancaster hospital to start between 2035 and 2038

The building of a new hospital to replace the "crumbling" Royal Lancaster Infirmary may not start until 2038.

The government has announced the timescales for its New Hospital Programme, saying the expected construction start date on a new RLI will be between 2035 and 2038, at a cost of £1bn to £1.5bn.

They said this was a "realistic timetable" and that the previous Tory government's commitment to deliver 40 new hospitals around the country by 2030 was "behind schedule, unfunded and therefore undeliverable".

But local Conservative county councillor Charlie Edwards said having to wait another 10 years for a new hospital in Lancaster was "a disaster".

Wes Streeting, Health Secretary, said on Monday: "The New Hospital Programme we inherited was unfunded and undeliverable. Not a single new hospital was built in the past five years, and there was no credible funding plan to build 40 in the next five years.

"When I walked into the Department of Health and Social Care, I was told that the funding for the New Hospitals Programme runs out in March. We were determined to put the programme on a firm footing, so we can build the new hospitals our NHS needs.

"Today we are setting out an honest, funded, and deliverable programme to rebuild our NHS."

A report published by the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) also deemed the previous scheme ‘unachievable’, rating the programme as red and highlighting major issues including with the schedule and budget. 

A government spokesperson said: "In May 2023, for example, the previous government announced that the programme was backed by over £20 billion of investment – but this funding was never delivered.

"This government is committed to rebuilding our NHS and to rebuilding trust in government. The new plan, which is affordable and honest, will be backed with £15 billion of new investment over consecutive five-year waves, averaging £3 billion a year.

"This government inherited buildings and equipment across the NHS that had been left to crumble, disrupting patient care and hindering staff.

"As Lord Darzi found in his investigation, the NHS was starved of capital in the last decade, with £37 billion under-investment over the 2010s, leaving some hospitals with roofs that have fallen in, and leaking pipes which freeze over in winter.

"Building an NHS estate that is fit for the future is key to the government’s Plan for Change that will get the health service back on its feet and see waiting times slashed. At the Budget, the Chancellor announced that health capital spending in the NHS is set to increase to record levels of £13.6 billion in 2025-26."

County Councillior Edwards, who represents Morecambe South, said on Monday: "I welcome the news (of the new hospital) but it is a disaster that it won't be starting until 2035.

"Are we really saying that the Government can't cope with building more than one hospital in the North West at a time?"

Councillor Tim Hamilton-Cox, of the Greens in Lancaster, said: “It is a shame that Labour locally has allowed residents to think that a new hospital was to be delivered in south Lancaster when government had set aside no funding to make it happen.

"This is exactly what the Tories did between the first announcement of the Royal Lancaster Infirmary’s inclusion in the New Hospitals Programme in 2019 and the general election in 2024. 

"The RLI is now relegated to the ‘third wave’ of hospital renewals. Given this ‘start’ date is after at least two more general elections, there can be no certainty it will happen even then. 

"A new hospital is the best solution but in the absence of the resources to deliver it we now need the Integrated Care Board and hospital trust to look at how to make healthcare delivery better for staff and patients in the places that we have got.”

Aaron Cummins, Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust which runs the RLI, said: “Any delay to the delivery of a replacement new hospital for the Royal Lancaster Infirmary is disappointing, but we accept the need for a fully costed and deliverable timeline of investment through the New Hospital Programme.

"Whilst this may not be the news local communities wanted, we hope that the outcome brings some certainty that patients and NHS colleagues will get the new hospital that they deserve.”

The full timetable for the New Hospital Programme across the UK can be found HERE.

Beyond Radio has contacted Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, for comment.

The new hospital to replace the Royal Lancaster Infirmary is being earmarked for a preferred site at Bailrigg East close to Lancaster University, it was announced in December, after the 94-acre greenfield site was sold to the NHS.

The NHS remains open to other sites being suggested and a public consultation will take place before any final decision is made.

Mr Cummins said at the time: “A new hospital on a new site in Lancaster will allow us to fully address the significant problems that we face with the current ageing buildings at Royal Lancaster Infirmary and will bring huge benefits to our communities and to the wider economy."

Read more: Site earmarked for 'game-changing' new Lancaster hospital is revealed - Beyond Radio

In July 2024, Mr Streeting said a proposed new hospital in Lancaster would be 'considered carefully' as part of a review by the new government.

Mr Streeting said he realised there was a "particular urgency" for a new hospital in Lancaster - speaking after the trust running the Royal Lancaster Infirmary raised its internal response to the highest level due to the pressures it faces.

As part of the Conservatives' programme, David Morris, former MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale, said before last year's general election that Lancaster would get a new £1.2bn hospital in 2033, on a site to be determined.

A series of events are now to be held, where you can have your say on proposals for the new hospital. The dates are as follows:

Monday 3 February 2025, from 5.30pm to 7pm, Lancaster Town Hall

Wednesday 12 February 2025, from 5.30pm to 7pm, Morecambe Football Club

Friday 14 March 2025, from 10am to 11.30am, Lancaster University

Read more: Have your say on proposed new hospital to replace Royal Lancaster Infirmary - Beyond Radio

Meanwhile, Labour councillors will bring a motion to a meeting of Lancaster City Council on Wednesday, in support of the decision to buy the land at Bailrigg East for a replacement Royal Lancaster Infirmary. 

Councillor Jean Parr, deputy leader of the Lancaster City Labour Group, said: “The current Royal Lancaster Infirmary building is crumbling and well past its sell by date. The staff do a brilliant job, creating fantastic care and support for the patients, but are hampered by a lack of good facilities. A new hospital will enhance the environment for patients and help attract and retain the best staff, bringing benefits to local businesses and improved health outcomes.”

The motion recognises that the location, close to Lancaster University and the Health Innovation Campus, will give opportunities for training and research, and highlights the need to ensure the new hospital is well served by public transport links.