£200m likely to be needed following significant delay to new hospital
Following a review of the national New Hospital Programme the government announced in January that construction of a new Whipps Cross Hospital will be delayed to 2032 at the earliest, which would mean completion in 2036.
This significant delay in delivering a new Whipps Cross means significant financial implications for the existing hospital. Nearly £100 million has been invested in the hospital since 2015. However, much of that investment was on schemes with a design life of up to 15 years, in line with the then anticipated delivery timeline.
The consequence of the government’s decision is that significant additional investment will now be required to ensure patient and staff safety, sustain clinical improvements and high-quality care, and to meet the NHS’s decarbonisation targets.
Whilst figures have still to be finalised and plans have still to be agreed, the total investment required to bridge the gap to the new hospital is likely to be more than £200 million.
Work is also being carried out to assess the impact of the further delay on some of the wider benefits of the redevelopment, including up to 1,500 new homes, retail units and community spaces, and 58,000 square metres of new parks and green spaces. Initial findings suggest that deferral of these wider scheme benefits could mean an estimated loss of £18million to the local economy.
Despite the government’s announcement about delivery of the new hospital, the construction of the new multi-storey car park is making good progress and will be completed as planned in August.