Government votes down Liberal Democrat motion to speed up building of new hospitals
EMBARGO: Immediate Release
The Government has voted down the Liberal Democrats opposition day motion which would have reversed Labour’s delays to the New Hospital Programme.
18 of the 40 projects in the New Hospitals Programme were pushed back from their original 2030 date, with some now not expected to begin construction until 2037. Previous research by the Liberal Democrats found that the new dates could see those delayed hospitals facing a near £6 billion repair bill by the time construction even started.
Separate research by the Liberal Democrats found that the health service lost 608 days worth of clinical time due to infrastructure failures on the NHS estate. A recent poll by the party showed that one in five (19%) people said that their local hospital building infrastructure is not a safe place with a quarter of those saying that it was because there might be a rodent/insect infestation (26%).
The Liberal Democrats slammed both Labour and the Conservatives for failing to back their motion calling it a “slap in the face” to all those who instead of worrying about getting better are worrying about the “roof caving in”.
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP said:
“Labour and Conservative MPs refusing to back our motion today is a slap in the face for all those patients still being treated in crumbling hospitals.
“It is a national scandal that patients are being treated in these ramshackle buildings with sewage leaks, rat infestations and roofs at risk of collapse.
“The Conservative party’s shameful record brought us to this point but the Labour government is only prolonging the misery.
"Liberal Democrats will not give up fighting to rebuild local health services and deliver the change that is so desperately needed.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Previous Liberal Democrat research on the cost of the repair backlog at delayed hospitals can be found here.
Previous Liberal Democrat research on clinical days lost due to infrastructure issues can be found here.
Previous Liberal Democrat polling on crumbling hospitals can be found here.
