Push to build new Royal Preston ‘bit by bit’ as politicians clash over delay

The replacement building - provisionally earmarked for a site in the Farington area of South Ribble - had been due to begin operating by the mid-2030s.

However, the government announced in January that construction work on the £2bn scheme would not now begin until between 2037 and 2039 - pushing completion back into the early-mid 2040s.

Ribble Valley MP Maya Ellis - in whose constituency the Royal Preston’s current Fulwood site sits - told the Lancashire Post she had been talking to ministers about the possibility of a phased development.

The Labour MP made the revelation in response to being accused of failing residents by voting against a parliamentary bid to speed up the process of replacing the ageing hospital.

A Liberal Democrat opposition day motion in the Commons last week called on the government to “reverse the delay” to the nationwide New Hospital Programme - of which the Royal Preston is a part.

Cllr John Potter, who leads the Lib Dem opposition group on Preston City Council, condemned local Labour MPs for not backing his party’s push - and taking Central Lancashire "for granted".

He said: “Many Preston residents will be let down that Labour voted down a Lib Dem motion calling for the hospital delays to be reversed.

“What is even worse is that our two Labour MPs [in Preston] didn’t put the best interest of their residents first. Maya Ellis voted against while [Preston constituency MP] Sir Mark Hendrick didn’t bother to vote."

The Post approached Sir Mark Hendrick's office for comment. The veteran MP has previously opposed the suggested shift of the Royal Preston to Stanifield Lane in Farington - some eight miles away from its current base - calling instead for a "refurbishment" of the existing site and for a new urgent treatment facility to be opened in the city centre.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ellis - who was elected at last year's general election in a constituency which was also contested by Cllr Potter - suggested the Lib Dem move was an empty gesture.

“I absolutely recognise that Royal Preston Hospital is no longer fit for purpose - and the government is doing everything it can to ensure it is rebuilt as soon as possible,” she said.

“I didn’t vote in favour of the recent opposition day motion, because it wouldn’t have changed the timeline for rebuilding [the] Royal Preston. It was not a meaningful step forward.

“What is meaningful is the work being done behind the scenes. I, along with other MPs representing the affected areas, am regularly speaking with the Secretary of State to push for immediate improvements to current services and to explore ways we can deliver key parts of the rebuild sooner, even if in stages.

“The reality is that the Conservatives committed to this project without setting aside any funding. As a result, we’re now forced to make difficult decisions about how we prioritise NHS infrastructure.

“Labour is approaching this responsibly. While other parties like the Lib Dems may make bold promises without explaining how they’d pay for them, we are focused on being realistic and delivering what we can with the resources available.”

The Lib Dem motion - brought by North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan - requested the government create “a crumbling hospitals taskforce” to bring forward the construction dates of projects within the New Hospital Programme. It also called for an end to “the vicious cycle of false economies and rising repair backlogs by putting hospitals across the country on a path towards sustainable funding”.

Ms. Morgan said the "appalling" condition of the country’s hospitals was “a national scandal” - and condemned the last government's "starved repair budgets"

The maintenance backlog at the Royal Preston was estimated to stand at £157m according to a calculation made in 2021 as part of the case to secure funding for a new building.

After news of the delay to the replacement facility emerged, bosses at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Royal Preston, told the Post that “significant additional capital funding will be needed to ensure patient services and health outcomes are not impacted”.

Almost 70 percent of the hospital's facilities were built between 1975 and 1984, with those from that era described as being in a state of “serious dilapidation” in a local NHS report setting out why a new building was needed.

Responding to the Lib Dem motion on behalf of the government, care minister Stephen Kinnock said Labour had been “truly shocked” by the state of the New Hospital Programme when it entered power.

He claimed that the funding allocated to it was “due to run out a month ago, with no provision whatsoever for future years - the money simply was not there”.

“There was no credible plan to deliver the building projects,” Mr. Kinnock added.

The Royal Preston’s opening date had already been pushed back by the previous Tory government from the end of this decade to the middle of the next as part of a plan to prioritise the replacement of hospitals affected by so-called ‘crumbling concrete’.

During the Commons debate on the motion, the Conservative shadow health and social care minister, Dr. Caroline Johnson, defended her party’s record on NHS investment.

She accused the current government of a “lack of ambition”.

“There are 40 hospitals in waves 1 to 3 of their programme - 40 hospitals over 15 years. But there are 515 acute, specialist and community hospitals in England.

“At this pace, the replacement of the NHS estate will require a cycle of nearly 200 years.

"To govern is to choose - and the Secretary of State has chosen not to deliver the hospitals. We set out our commitment to delivering them on time, with the agreement of the then Chancellor. Of course, spending decisions cannot be made for a future Parliament, but the Secretary of State has chosen not to make the same commitment.

“How do we know that Labour will not come for those already delayed new hospitals in a year or two - and that there will not be further delays or cancellations?" Dr Johnson asked.