New North Manchester hospital on track for 2030 completion, says govt

Leighton Hospital has a similar due date, however, replacements for Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary have been pushed back.

The news comes after health minister Lord Nick Markham visited the North West hospital sites last week.

Markham has since stressed that the government’s new hospital programme progressing well, with a total of five new North West hospitals set to have opened in line with the 2030 target.

That figure includes Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, which are already treating patients. The Greater Manchester Major Trauma Centre is set to open later this year.

The new Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary are unlikely to meet the 2030 target. However, construction will be underway by that time, according to the health minister. The reason for the delay is the government has reprioritised the hospitals it is delivering.

“The government will keep the situation under review and do everything it can to accelerate the completion timeline of the hospitals impacted, if circumstances allow,” a press release stated.

Markham told the Manchester Evening News that major work would start on the North Manchester General Hospital in 2025.

Manchester University Foundation Trust said it was now developing the full business case for its redevelopment. This business case includes the costs and anticipated timescales for project delivery.

“The new health campus will play a central role in the area; with joined-up health and social care facilities, high-quality new homes, access to better education and training, and more inviting open spaces,” a spokesperson for the trust said.

“It is part of an exciting vision to deliver a digitally connected hospital and modern mental health in-patient unit within a health campus located at the heart of the local community. It will also create employment and business opportunities for people in the area and be a catalyst for comprehensive regeneration in North Manchester.”