NHS still waiting for over £1bn capital funding announced five years ago

More than half of £2.7bn awarded to NHS organisations for capital projects in 2017 and 2018 has yet to be delivered, research by HSJ has discovered. 

The government announced almost £3bn  in capital funding to upgrade NHS estates and services in four waves during 2017 and 2018. This was before the pledge to build 40 “new hospitals” by 2030, which has since largely dominated decisions about NHS capital investment.

HSJ looked at the progress of the 143 schemes, worth a total of £2.7bn, known to have been included in the “sustainability and transformation partnership” capital funding programmes. 

Only £1.2bn has been given to the organisations involved, and over a fifth of live schemes – which range from emergency department upgrades to new primary care hubs – have not received any allocated funds to date. 

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Source: HSJ, 15 May 2023