Airedale and LGI new hospital projects may not be completed until 2030s, MPs fear

They were two of 40 “new” hospitals which Mr Johnson claimed would be completed before 2030, ahead of the 2019 election.

A building housing a state-of-the-art adults hospital, a new children’s hospital and a maternity centre was due to be constructed on the site of LGI and open in 2030, costing more than £650m.

A complete rebuild had been ordered for Airedale General Hospital by 2030, which was found to be at risk of collapse due to its construction with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Both these projects have been delayed, with the Health Secretary, Mr Streeting, saying the programme “was unfunded and undeliverable”.

He described Mr Johnson’s promises as “a complete fiction”.

Due to the presence of RAAC, Airedale General Hospital is part of the first wave of building and the Government has pledged spades in the ground between 2027 and 2028.

Mr Streeting confirmed that funding of up to £1.5 billion has been allocated for this.

However, neither the Health Secretary or the Government could confirm when the rebuild would be completed, leading to fears that swathes of the hospital may need to be closed over safety fears.

Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore told The Yorkshire Post: “Airedale General Hospital has one of the highest structural risk profiles of all of the RAAC hospitals.

“It has the most desperate need of needing to be fully rebuilt and replaced.

“Beyond 2030, parts of the hospital cannot be inhabited for safety reasons.

“There’s no guarantee that the hospital work will be completed by that date.

“The trust must be supported financially to keep the existing structure open while that work is finished.”

Mr Moore rejected Mr Streeting’s claim that the Airedale refurbishment was not properly funded by the Tories.

The work at the LGI has been pushed back even further, with construction not starting until 2034 at the latest.

Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, described the Government’s decision as “extremely disappointing”.

He said: “We have been waiting since 2019 to build this new hospital for our patients, staff and communities in Leeds, Yorkshire and beyond.”

The construction site at the LGI has been cleared and the trust has been working towards securing more detailed planning consent.

Prof Wood added: “We also need to understand the impact this delay will have on our hospital services and our ageing estate, which has one of the highest backlog maintenance requirements in the NHS.”

Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley Alex Sobel urged Mr Streeting to meet himself and hospital bosses to discuss the urgent works needed to keep the LGI operational.

He said: “While the delay is undoubtedly disappointing, the most important thing is that we will get this much-needed hospital.

“However, the pressing concern remains the significant backlog of maintenance.”

Foluke Ajayi, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, said: “We are pleased that the Government has now confirmed that Airedale and the other RAAC hospitals will be in wave 1, which will start construction between 2025 and 2030, along with a cost estimate of £1bn to £1.5bn, recognising the need to completely rebuild the hospital to ensure we can continue to deliver services for our local population.

“We are continuing to progress with the work needed to get ready for the hospital and develop our plans and will keep people updated on the next stages as soon as we have more information on timescales.”