Providing greater access to local, specialised, community-based healthcare sits at the heart of the NHS’s 10-year health plan for England. At the centre of that ambition is the new hospital programme (NHP), a once-in-a-generation opportunity to renew ageing estates, modernise clinical environments and deliver new hospitals that are fit for the future. It is an opportunity the sector has long called for – but it is also one that comes with no shortage of challenges.

As the UK’s population grows and healthcare needs become more complex, modernising hospital estates has become an urgent priority. Meanwhile delivery timescales are compressed, public scrutiny is intense and questions persist about whether large, complex hospital projects can realistically be delivered on time and to budget.

Against that backdrop, it is worth looking beyond the UK for perspective. While political, economic and regulatory contexts may differ, the fundamental challenges of hospital delivery are remarkably similar across the world.