Yesterday (20 January 2025), the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, made a statement on the outcome of the Government’s review into the national New Hospital Programme.
The announcement included revised timelines for existing schemes, including the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI). The new timelines show a delay to the expected timings for a new RLI - with construction now not expected to start until between 2035 and 2038.
UHMBT response to the New Hospital Programme announcement:
“Whilst we are pleased that the announcement showed a solid commitment to building a new RLI, we are deeply disappointed about the delay in the planned timescales.
“We do understand that the government needs to make sure the programme is affordable, but we have real concerns about the impact this delay will have on our ability to ensure the current RLI site remains suitable to deliver high quality care to patients and offer a safe working environment for our colleagues.
“The RLI is an ageing site with 20 separate buildings - 65% of which were built before 1985. Several services are provided in temporary buildings offering poor quality accommodation and others are past their useful life. There are huge backlog maintenance costs, and the inflexibility of the site makes it difficult for us to manage demand and comply with national guidance in some areas, such as single rooms, the electricity supply and the size of clinical areas.
“It is important that we now take the time to understand the impact on our scheme. What is clear though is that we will need to find a way to secure alternative funding to allow us to invest into the current site to ensure it is able to deliver safe and effective care for the additional ten to fifteen years in the revised timescales.
“We will continue to keep colleagues, patients, stakeholders and our communities updated as we know more.”
Aaron Cummins Tony Oakman
Chief Executive Interim Chair