UPDATE: |Billion-pound North Manchester General Hospital rebuild CONFIRMED by government News

The move gives ‘financial certainty’ to plans for a new state-of-the-art facility

Funding for the new North Manchester General Hospital rebuild has finally been rubberstamped by the government.

In January, after years of waiting for the go-ahead, the hospital was told by the government that it would finally green-light its transformation.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the House of Commons that the crumbling Crumpsall estate would be awarded between 1bn to £1.5bn in funding.

That funding has now been formally approved by the government, giving ‘financial certainty’ to plans for a new state-of-the-art facility.

In a letter to local NHS leaders, Health Minister Karin Smyth confirmed funding available for schemes in the first wave of the New Hospital Programme, including the overhaul of the Victorian-era North Manchester General Hospital.

Initial plans were drawn up after then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 2019 promise that the hospital would be rebuilt, but previous government’s refused to commit a final figure or a start date for construction.

But the January announcement said that work on the new north Manchester hospital would start as early as 2027, in the first wave of the new hospital projects being given money by the government.

The news followed a major Manchester Evening News campaign to rebuild the failing structure, which was built in the 1870s.

We urged the government to commit to funding a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a hospital that will save lives, fit for the next 150 years.

In this week’s latest update on the huge transformation project, Mr Streeting said: “Patients have endured years of broken promises, so I’m delighted this government is getting work underway on a world-class hospital development at North Manchester.

“This is a significant moment for patients and healthcare in the region. We are committed to delivering the modern facilities our NHS needs to provide the highest quality care.

“This investment – worth hundreds of millions of pounds – shows our determination to transform the crumbling NHS infrastructure we inherited and create a healthcare system fit for the future through our Plan for Change.”

The full plans would see the crumbling hospital estate transformed into a state-of-the-art facility as well as regenerating this part of the city, including desperately-needed new housing.

North Manchester General Hospital is in a state of such disrepair it has been described by some as akin to a ’19th century workhouse’. Staff report daily issues caused by the ageing estate, with operating theatres being forced to close because of crumbling ceilings.

Charlotte Taylor of the New Hospital Programme said: “This marks a significant milestone for North Manchester General Hospital and the community it serves.

“It provides the financial certainty to move ahead with confidence and we will continue working closely with the [hospital] trust to deliver a modern hospital that meets the needs of patients and staff for decades to come.”

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The plans approved by Manchester Council in 2021, while the hospital awaited a government decision, include:

• A new, fully-modernised district general hospital with a refurbished A&E, walk-in centre, labour wards, operating theatres, x-ray and outpatients facilities, where care and treatment is closely integrated with community services and supported by state of the art digital systems and remote monitoring
• An education hub to attract, train and develop the region’s best doctors, nurses, and health care workers
• New housing which could include worker accommodation, social housing, and step down care for those not ill enough to be in hospital and not well enough to be at home
• A wellbeing hub to deliver community-based care and support with a café, allotments and a village green
• Shops and offices which would stimulate local business and jobs

The new hospital will be constructed on a different area of the Crumpsall site to the old estate, rather than the buildings being knocked down and started again from scratch. That means North Manchester General will not have to close as it is being transformed and there will not be an impact on patient capacity or care.

The Crumpsall development is part of the New Hospital Programme, which is backed with up to £15 billion of new investment over consecutive five-year waves, averaging £3 billion a year, the government has said.

Over £1 billion has also been set aside to make inroads into the existing backlog of critical maintenance, repairs and upgrades, while £102 million has been dedicated for improvements to GP surgeries across England as a first step towards transforming the primary care estate, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.