Work on new specialist hospital could start in 2027

Work to build a new Buckinghamshire hospital for women and children could begin in as little as two years, while plans to rebuild a Hertfordshire hospital have been delayed.

The new Milton Keynes facility, boasting 185 beds, would cost about £500m, with the project getting under way between 2027 and 2028.

Prof Joe Harrison, chief executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH), said he was "thrilled" by the news.

Construction on a new-look Watford General Hospital, however, would not begin until 2032 at the earliest, which Peter Taylor, the mayor of Watford, described as "incredibly disappointing".

Speaking about the announcement for Milton Keynes, Mr Harrison said: "This addition to our hospital estate is a key strand of our future strategy which has been built around the needs of this fast-growing city.

"MKUH is now in a position to re-imagine how it sees and treats patients, and deliver improved patient experience across the board.

"We are excited to move forward with our plans and would like to thank everyone in Milton Keynes for their ideas and support over recent years."

Milton Keynes' Labour MPs have been equally as pleased, describing the go-ahead as "fantastic news" which would "mean so much to so many across Milton Keynes".

The timeline for the hospitals were revealed earlier by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, saying a "serious, credible plan" was what "our NHS needs".

The newbuilds were part of the government's New Hospital Programme, which would see 40 new hospitals delivered across the country.

The new facilities were initially promised by the previous Conservative government, which said construction would be completed by 2030.

Streeting said the pledge had been "built on the shaky foundation of false hope".

But shadow health secretary Edward Argar accused Streeting of putting progress made under the previous government "at risk" by "kicking the can down the road".

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