 Cumberland Infirmary was the country's first PFI hospital |
Fifteen new NHS hospital development projects in England have been given the go-ahead by Health Secretary John Reid. The new projects, worth a total of �4bn, will mean that �16bn has been spent on new NHS hospitals since Labour came to power in 1997.
Ministers are committed to opening 100 new hospital schemes by 2010. So far, Labour has sanctioned 132 new developments.
Many of the new schemes will be funded under the Private Finance Initiative.
 |  The NHS is in the middle of the biggest hospital building programme in its history.  |
Dr Reid said the new buildings would help in the fight against hospital-acquired infections like the superbug MRSA, as most of them contain more than 50% single rooms, allowing the isolation of infected patients. He said: "The NHS is in the middle of the biggest hospital building programme in its history.
"After years of under-investment, the infrastructure of the NHS is at last being modernised and made fit for the 21st century.
"The new hospital plans given the green light today represent the type of bright, modern, clean environment that all NHS patients should experience during their treatment.
"I look forward to seeing further progress on these schemes, and all of the other hospital building projects that are under way, and particularly to seeing the benefits they will bring to their local communities."
Doubts over PFI
Dr Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman said using PFI to fund hospitals was to be welcomed - but only if the building is completed on time and in budget.
He said: "Many PFI contracts are entered into for the wrong reasons and often undertaken to keep borrowing costs off the balance books.
"PFI contracts are surrounded by secrecy and confidentiality clauses. It is essential that the government ensure that contracts are transparent so that we can judge whether they are good value."
Dave Prentis, general secretary of public sector union Unison, said: "Today's announcement is great news for patients, but bad news for taxpayers.
"Of course, Unison welcomes the government's continuing commitment to investment in the NHS, but taxpayers are yet again expected to pay through the nose for these projects.
"PFI is still the only show in town and today big business will be cheering all the way to the bank.
"The private sector is carving up this very lucrative PFI market despite wide-ranging concerns that they are not good value for money."
The new hospital developments are:
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire (�880m): A major acute service reconfiguration, including plans for redevelopment and expansion at Watford and a new hospital at Hatfield, incorporating a new cancer centre for Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire. North Bristol and South Gloucestershire (�310m): Options include the relocation of specialist acute services onto a single site in North Bristol/South Gloucestershire, complemented by a network of new community facilities and community hospitals. Papworth Hospital NHS Trust (�148m): Cardiothoracic services in new buildings for Papworth Hospital. Options include redeveloping the existing Papworth site or co-locating with Addenbrookes on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Sandwell and West Birmingham Acute Trust (�591m): New acute sector facilities including development of community based alternatives to hospital care. Maternity and Childrens Hospital in Leeds (�204m): Creation of a new Childrens and Maternity hospital in Leeds. Hillingdon Hospital redevelopment (�271m): Redevelopment of the site in Northwest London and the total replacement of out-dated accommodation with a modern new building. Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Stanmore redevelopment (�121m): Replacement of the hospitals older buildings with modern purpose-built facilities and an increase in capacity. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children redevelopment (�225m): Second phase redevelopment of the site, to create a new in-patient block, upgrade the cardiac wing, expand imaging capacity and create a new cardiac research institute. The hospital authorities will receive a �75m grant, and will raise the rest themselves. Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (�52m): Re-provision of mental health services. Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust (�73m): Redevelopment of a comprehensive range of services on the St Lukes site in Middlesbrough to allow the relocation of services in Stockton and Hartlepool from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust sites. Taunton Surgical Centre (�75m): A new surgical centre will accommodate wards, theatres, ITU and HDU facilities. Southend Hospital redevelopment (�100m): Redevelopment to ensure sufficient capacity is available to deliver efficient high dependency, elective and emergency care services for the people of South East Essex. North Mersey Future Healthcare Project (�1008m): Redevelopment of facilities at the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, an elective care centre and additional ward facilities at University Hospital Aintree, establishment of a local Psychiatry Intensive Care Unit and better community mental health facilities. South of Tyne and Wearside (�50m): New mental health facilities at Cherry Knowle Hospital in Ryhope, Sunderland, including replacement of in-patient facilities for adult and older persons and replacement of an older persons' day hospital. Northwick Park and St Marks (�305m): Creation of a state-of the art 600 bed acute hospital. 
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