First wave of New Hospital Programme deals announced

The first tranche of contracts under the government’s £37bn New Hospital Programme have been awarded.

Building revealed in February the names of the 10 construction firms appointed to the Hospital 2.0 Alliance framework, putting them in position to deliver the government’s centrepiece health infrastructure scheme.

Today, the NHP has announced the first tie-ups between individual NHS trusts and specific contractors.

Contracts for the partnerships are set to be signed in the summer and NHP said the programme remained “subject to stringent governance and contractual requirements” ahead of this.

“As a result, NHP, participating Trusts and construction partners will not be commenting further on individual partnerships, allocation outcomes or commercial arrangements at this stage,” it said.

The framework will be used by NHS trusts to appoint so-called Alliance Partners responsible for the design, construction and handover of individual hospital projects.

Last January, the government published a new timetable to deliver the NHP with some projects now pushed back beyond 2037.

At the time, the then health secretary Wes Streeting described the new timetable as “honest, realistic [and] deliverable” in contrast to Boris Johnson’s original pledge to build 40 hospitals by 2030 which Streeting said was built on the “shaky foundation of false hope”.

Under the plan, which will see 46 hospitals built or refurbished, projects will be delivered and funded in five-year “waves”, with £15bn allocated for each wave.