Calderdale Royal Hospital redevelopment hold-up down to Treasury refusal to give go ahead - Yorkshire Post Letters

The YP reports on Calderdale Royal Hospital redevelopment (July 15 and 17) omit the significant delay to construction caused by HM Treasury’s protracted refusal to give the go ahead until the hospital’s PFI contract is brought into line with policy on the investment of public money into PFI projects.

The revised timeline for construction that hospital trust directors presented to the Councillors’ watchdog committee last week show a two year delay, compared to the schedule in the Outline Business Case that the trust outlined back in March 2021.

At that time, the hospital trust expected Outline Business Case approval from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care in time for construction of the multi-storey car park to start in 2022, with completion in 2023.

The trust also expected to complete and submit the Full Business Case for the CRH redevelopment in 2023, with construction starting on the new hospital wards, A&E and children’s A&E the same year and finishing in 2025.

But the other week Anna Basford, the trust’s Director of Transformation, told Councillors that - on the assumption Treasury approval would soon be given - construction on the multi-storey carpark and learning centre would only start this autumn - a year late. This is estimated to take 12 months.

During that time, the trust will develop timelines in more detail for construction of the new clinical buildings, for inclusion in the Full Business Case. This too will require approval from NHSE, DHSC & HM Treasury.

Stuart Baron, the trust’s associate finance director, told Councillors that after the 12 months work on the multi-storey car park and learning centre is done, (around the end of 2024), they "will look to start clinical works taking 2.5 years on the cleared site." Which by my calculation, takes completion up to mid 2027.