In July 2024, the government announced that as part of the wider audit of public spending a review of the national New Hospital Programme would take place.
That review has now concluded with an announcement this week by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. In his statement to the House of Commons, he set out what the conclusions of the review would mean for the national New Hospital Programme and for specific programmes, including Whipps Cross.
Schemes have been placed into ‘waves’, with Whipps Cross being placed in Wave 2 – an expectation that construction of the new hospital will begin between 2030 and 2035.
Responding to the announcement, a spokesperson for NHS North East London said: “Confirmation that the construction of a new Whipps Cross Hospital will face further delays is extremely disappointing for everyone in north east London and particularly for local people.
“Along with colleagues at Barts Health, we will be seeking clarity on the new timeline for the redevelopment and on financial support for the existing hospital so the trust and its staff can continue providing high quality care for local people.”
Group Chief Executive of Barts Health NHS Trust, Shane DeGaris, said:
“Today’s announcement of a significant delay to the redevelopment is deeply disappointing for Whipps Cross Hospital, our staff, and the local people we serve.
“With construction already under way on the first of two new car parks, our existing planning permissions and the potential for the redevelopment to unlock up to 1,500 new homes, we believed we had a very strong case to proceed at pace with finalising our plans for a new hospital.
“With the start of construction now delayed until 2030 at the earliest, we will seek urgently to understand from national colleagues what this means for both delivery of the new Whipps Cross and for the funding of the current hospital to ensure it is fit for our wonderful staff to continue to provide the highest quality care and treatment for local people.”
