Government funding is approved for new Airedale Hospital

Plans for a new-build hospital at the Steeton site were amongst an ambitious £1.7 billion-plus package of proposals put forward to the Government in 2021.

Now it has been confirmed that the existing, crumbling building will be replaced.

The scheme has secured a place on the Government’s New Hospital Programme.

What's happening to the other two proposals?

In 2021, it was announced that the Act as One health and care partnership that covers Bradford District and Craven had bid to Government for funding that would see the rebuild of Airedale Hospital on its current site, a rebuild Lynfield Mount to develop a new acute inpatient facility and replacing Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital with a purpose-built hospital on a single site.

The fate of the other two bids is not clear, but health chiefs vowed to continue to push the case for the projects.

This afternoon, Shane Embleton, deputy director of estates and facilities for Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Whilst we are pleased that the structural issues at Airedale will be resolved, we are very disappointed that we have not been successful in our bid for much-needed national capital for Lynfield Mount.  

"The proposed £90 million investment would create a best-in-class mental health acute inpatient facility on the Lynfield Mount site to replace the main 1950s central building, to better support patient recovery and wellbeing.

"We will continue to seek opportunities to fund this critical building work for our patients and staff.”

Plans: Lynfield Mount being developed into a new acute inpatient facility that integrates mental health and neurodiversity within our community

Professor Mel Pickup, Chief Executive of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am delighted to hear that Airedale General Hospital has been accepted on to the Government’s New Hospital Programme. This is a much needed development that reflects the issues the hospital is faced with. 

“The new development will benefit the communities local to the hospital and much further afield. We also recognise that this news will bring a welcome boost for colleagues working at Airedale as well as helping us attract people to come and work for us here in Bradford District and Craven.

“While this is a much needed boost, we are disappointed that we have not seen any progress on our efforts to secure funding for a new hospital to replace Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital, which has some estate dating back 100 years.

2021 Plans: Replace Bradford Royal Infirmary and St. Luke’s Hospital with a single site purpose built hospital

“As the youngest city in Europe, with 29 per cent of our population under 20 and nearly a quarter under 16, the need for local healthcare services will continue to grow. We want to ensure our patients have world-class facilities to receive cutting-edge care and we, as a Trust, can meet the changing needs and rising demand the NHS will face during the next decade and beyond.

“We will continue to make the case for this project, so that our local community can benefit from state-of-the-art facilities across our services.”

Why Airedale Hospital needs to be rebuilt

Airedale Hospital, built in the late 1960s, was largely constructed using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete which was found to have a lifespan of 30 years. Structural engineers have advised that the hospital should be replaced as soon as possible.

Foluke Ajayi, chief executive of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, says: “We are truly delighted to hear the announcement that we have been accepted on to the New Hospital Programme.

"A new hospital will have far-reaching benefits for our local community, allowing us to continue to provide vital health care in a safe, modern environment that’s fit for the future, and that will improve patient outcomes and experience.

"I know I speak for all our incredible staff, patients, governors, volunteers and wider supporters when I say that this is the news we have been waiting for since we were first made aware of the major structural problems Airedale Hospital faces with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us so far along this process, in particular Bradford District & Craven Health and Care Partnership, West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, NHS England, our local MPs, leaders of our local authorities and local councillors.

"We are eager for planning to start on the new hospital but recognise that this is just the first step in the journey, and we look forward to hearing further details when they are announced.

"In the meantime, we are continuing to take every step possible to maintain a safe environment to provide high-quality health services for our community, and would like to thank our patients and staff for their continued patience as essential structural work continues at Airedale."

The new hospital will be built on the current site and is planned to be more environmentally friendly, making use of a range of sustainable technologies.

What has Airedale Hospital said?

Andrew Gold, chair of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Being included as one of the hospitals added to the Government’s New Hospitals Programme is tremendous news, providing a major boost to the local community and securing the future of high-quality healthcare provision on the trust’s Steeton site for years to come.

"Replacing the well-chronicled reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete affected areas of Airedale Hospital has been a key priority for the past few years and this announcement means that we can all look towards the future with positivity.

"We are excited to use the opportunity presented with the New Hospitals Programme funding to transform healthcare for the population we serve and look forward to firming up plans as more information becomes available.”

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe added: “Obviously we’re relieved that Airedale Hospital will now be rebuilt, this was a decision that Government just couldn’t leave any longer. 

"But that leaves a question about where the Government’s promise is for the 40 new hospitals nationally in the Conservative manifesto. They’ve left it so long that I just can’t see they can build 40 new hospitals by 2030. 

"Lynfield Mount and Bradford Royal Infirmary also have plans for new hospitals and both have a strong case to be granted much needed funding. 

"This is not the time to give up, on the contrary we will redouble our efforts to get our remaining hospitals renewed. Residents of the district and our NHS staff deserve better.”

Airedale is one of five hospitals with significant amounts of the type of concrete that are being added to the New Hospitals Programme – the others are Queen Elizabeth King’s Lynn in Norfolk, Hinchingbrooke in Cambridgeshire, Mid Cheshire Leighton in Cheshire and Frimley Park in Surrey.

The Government's view

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “These five hospitals are in pressing need of repair and are being prioritised so patients and staff can benefit from major new hospital buildings, equipped with the latest technology.

“On top of this I’m strengthening our New Hospitals Programme by confirming that it is expected to represent more than £20 billion of new investment in hospital infrastructure.

“As we approach the 75th anniversary of our fantastic NHS, this extra investment will ensure it can care for patients for decades to come and help cut waiting lists, so they get the treatment they need quicker.”

Keighley MP Robbie Moore says he has been pressing for a full rebuild of Airedale Hospital since his election in 2019.

Last summer he took a piece of Airedale’s crumbling concrete into a key Downing Street meeting with the Prime Minister and key officials.

Mr Moore says: "This is a landmark day for Keighley and Ilkley and one of the most significant investments announced for our community in decades.

"A new Airedale Hospital will make an unprecedented difference to the lives of so many across our community for generations to come.

"Since being elected, I have campaigned tirelessly on this issue, alongside the fantastic Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. Having visited the hospital many times for meetings over the last few years, I have seen first-hand just how bad the structural condition is, and that’s why I made it my number one priority.

"From the moment I was elected I made it absolutely clear to Government on numerous occasions that our town would never settle for sticking plaster solutions and only a new hospital will do.

"With the money secured, now is the time for delivery. With this announcement stating the new hospital must be completed by no later than 2030, time is of the essence.

"Now the real work begins, and I look forward to working with the Government and the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust to ensure that the delivery of our landmark new hospital is a complete success.”