‘Imaginary hospitals’ promised by Boris Johnson unlikely to be finished by election

Most of the 40 “new hospital” projects promised by Boris Johnson are unlikely to be finished by the next general election.

Just one has been completed, while building work has started on seven.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “There’s no sign of these 40 new hospitals. The only place they seem to exist is in Boris Johnson’s imagination.”

The new hospitals promised in the Tories’ 2019 manifesto pledge turned out to be mainly refurbishments of existing buildings. Some of them had already been planned.

FOI responses show fewer than a third of the 40 trusts say they expect a new hospital building to be built.

Mr Streeting added: “Neither Rishi Sunak nor Liz Truss are talking about 40 new hospitals, because they know they can’t be delivered.”

Seven of the hospitals do not have a completion date, with another 25 not expected to be finished until at least 2024.

The National Audit Office is now set to review the Hospital Building Programme’s “value for money”. The Government originally committed £3.7billion for the programme but the Health Foundation estimates the real cost to be around £20bn.

The funding only supports activity until 2025. A Treasury spokesman said: “All departmental budgets for years beyond 2024-25 will be subject to the next spending review.”

Rory Deighton, senior acute lead at the NHS Confederation, said: “This shows what leaders across the NHS know – 40 new hospitals will not be built by the next election.

“The two candidates to be the next prime minister need to level with the public about what is needed for the NHS rather than relying on myths and rhetoric.”

Many of the trusts have submitted plans but are still awaiting Government approval. Plans are only settled once a full business case has been agreed.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the new hospitals will be delivered by 2030. He added: “The hospitals will provide patients and staff with brand new, state-of-the-art facilities, ensuring people get the right care when and where they need it.”

Ministers admitted on Sunday that 34 hospital buildings in England have roofs that could fall down at any time.