Airedale General Hospital will be removed from the government’s review of the New Hospital Programme.
Airedale is one of seven hospital projects which will now be prioritised because its current buildings contain potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. (RAAC).
In a letter to MPs, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that the local hospital will now be ‘out of scope’ of Labour’s review due to the presence of RAAC in the estate and the project will continue to ‘proceed at pace due’ to the substantive safety risks associated with aerated concrete.
The Health Secretary said:
“Patient safety is our priority, so RAAC-affected hospitals, alongside those where the Full Business Cases is already approved, will not form part of the review and will continue as planned.
Foluke Ajayi, chief executive of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said:
“It is absolutely fantastic news to have confirmation that Airedale Hospital is out of scope for the New Hospital Programme review and will be going ahead.
“With RAAC areas making up 83 per cent of our estate, we need a new hospital so we can continue providing services for our local communities, as such we have been carrying on with our work to prepare for having a new hospital in place by 2030. We are delighted that the need for a new Airedale Hospital has been recognised, and very grateful for the support we have had from our partners and the local communities.
“Our journey to our new hospital is now moving into the second stage, which is getting the site ready to build the hospital. We have a very busy time ahead as this will include building a new substation to bring extra power to the site and a new car park to make sure there is enough parking for patients and staff while the hospital is being built. We will also be continuing with the structural support programme across the hospital to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff, until the time comes that we can move into our new hospital.”
Robert Minton-Taylor, public governor, South Craven, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said:
“It’s great to see Craven getting a hospital fit for the 21st century not only for you and me as patients, but also for the staff at the hospital who deserve to work in a modern environment that we can all be proud of.”
Local MP Robbie Moore wrote to the Health Secretary slamming the initial decision to launch a review, writing in July:
“Two days before the general election, you gave your commitment to the full rebuild of our Airedale Hospital. If this is still the case, then there is a real danger that a review of the project as indicated by the Chancellor will risk needless delay and put the timescale of our new hospital back beyond the critical 2030 deadline.”
Mr Moore then raised the matter in the House of Commons with Chancellor Rachel Reeves, stating:
With millions of pounds being spent on the project and works well under way, can I seek reassurance from the Chancellor that this new Labour Government will not deny my constituents their right to a full rebuild of Airedale hospital?
Reacting to the news yesterday, Robbie Moore MP said:
“I am pleased to say that following additional lobbying in Parliament and the continued hard work of our fantastic Airedale NHS Trust, we have now secured an assurance from the new government that Airedale Hospital will no longer be a part of Labour’s New Hospital Programme ‘Review’.
This means that plans for our new hospital will continue to proceed at pace - and my role will now be to ensure the works are completed by 2030, as previously announced.
Since the general election, our new Labour Government have created unnecessary fear across our community through their previous announcement to review the Airedale Hospital rebuild programme.
That’s exactly why following the announcement I wrote directly to our new Health Secretary and raised the matter directly in the House of Commons with new Chancellor Rachel Reeves urgently stressing the need to keep plans for our new hospital on track.
The Health Secretary has also confirmed in his letter to me today that funding was indeed signed off for Airedale Hospital as part of the New Hospital programme by our last Conservative government, exposing the scare-tactics of our local Labour Party during the general election campaign as an outright lie.
It is great news that the rebuild of Airedale Hospital will now continue to proceed at pace - and I will continue to hold our new government to that.”
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