Concerns are being raised over the future of Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s rebuild as the new chancellor is set to announce immediate cuts worth billions of pounds.
Rachel Reeves will reveal plans aimed at fixing a £20bn gap in government finances in Parliament today (Monday).
And one of the areas that could be cut or delayed is the New Hospital Programme which Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s rebuild sits under.
The new Conservative MP for Huntingdon, Ben Obese-Jecty, said he was “deeply concerned” when it was first suggested there could be changes to the hospital programme last week.
On Friday (July 26), he said: “I was in the House of Commons chamber [last] Tuesday and listened to [Wes Streeting’s] comments regarding the issue.
“The Health Secretary gave assurances that the hospitals affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) are top of his list of priorities.
“Given the grave structural issues that RAAC is causing at Hinchingbrooke it is imperative that construction is started without delay.”
Mr Obese-Jecty added: “During the general election campaign I pledged to fight for the funding necessary to rebuild our hospital and I will hold this Labour Government to account to ensure that it follows through on the programme it committed to deliver."
He said: “Here in Huntingdon we desperately need Hinchingbrooke to be rebuilt as part of that programme because of RAAC....
“...I will fight to ensure we get our new hospital.”
Mr Obese-Jecty told The Hunts Post on Wednesday: "I am concerned that the program will be delayed and I suspect the government will look to push it back as far as they can.
"There's a risk to patient safety given how compromised the structure is and the RAAC material is well-beyond its life-span.
"I think people would be alarmed if they were aware that buildings such as hospitals are really on their last legs."
Meanwhile, another round of face-to-face and online public consultation events are due to take place and showcase plans for the new Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
Deborah Lee, the Senior Responsible Officer for the Hinchingbrooke Hospital Redevelopment Programme, issued a statement before the weekend saying their work will continue.
She said: “Our deadline for the new hospital at Hinchingbrooke is 2030 and we are working with colleagues from the New Hospitals Programme to achieve this date.”
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The Huntingdon hospital is being rebuilt as the original building was experiencing RAAC-related structural issues.
In May 2023, the then health secretary and North East Cambridgeshire MP Steve Barclay included Hinchingbrooke Hospital in his Government’s New Hospital Programme.
It was one of five hospitals added to the programme, another was the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.
Since then, Hinchingbrooke’s team has been developing the Strategic Outline Case, which is an initial step needed in the project approval process.
Mr Barclay has been approached for comment.
Ms Reeves’ plans are also expected to include the cancellation of some road and rail projects.
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