Exclusive: Major Hospital Funding Reveal Set for Next Week, BBC Inside Sources Indicate

The BBC has learned that the government is set to announce hospital financing in England next week.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves declared in July that a review would be conducted on hospital, road, and rail initiatives as part of efforts to address a £22bn gap in public finances.

This encompasses hundreds of millions of pounds that were previously pledged to London hospitals, including St Helier Hospital in Sutton.

A representative from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) stated that the government intended to “reconstruct our NHS”.

St Helier Hospital was assured it would receive new buildings as well as upgrades to existing structures, yet staff claim this has not yet materialized.

The facility, which began admitting patients in 1941, has been the target of funding assurances from various governments.

In 2003, Tony Blair’s Labour government introduced a plan named Better Health Care Closer to Home.

In 2010, Conservative George Osborne guaranteed £200m for new hospital projects, including St Helier Hospital.

In 2020, Boris Johnson’s administration promised up to £500m for St Helier through the New Hospitals Programme.

Then in 2023, the BBC revealed ministers intended to have six hospitals completed by 2025 – one of which being St Helier, part of the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Dr Beccy Suckling, chief medical officer at the hospital, indicated that the premise has multiple issues such as windows that do not close properly, causing dampness.

She noted that over 600 surgical procedures were canceled last year owing to ventilation issues within the operating theatres.

Dr Suckling believes the age of the establishment – which was finalized in 1942 – is the fundamental reason for these concerns.

Dr Pauline Swift, consultant nephrologist at St Helier Hospital, mentioned that the elevators frequently malfunction, causing additional complications for patients.

She also remarked that she visited a patient in a dialysis department where the windows were boarded up due to dislodgement.

She added: “This is not the standard of care to be providing to patients in the 21st Century.”

The DHSC acknowledged that structures and apparatus throughout the NHS “have been neglected,” disrupting patient care and hindering personnel.

After assuming power, Labour stated it would evaluate the viability of the future for 25 initiatives within the New Hospital Programme in England, as promised by Conservative Boris Johnson during his premiership.

The DHSC remarked: “We took over an unrealistic and unaffordable New Hospital Programme, with funding set to expire in March 2025.

“We are developing a timeline that is both affordable and realistic.”