In a statement made on 25th May 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that Frimley Park Hospital will be among five significant hospitals to be rebuilt. This is part of a hospital infrastructure investment of over £20 billion.
In the statement, DHSC said that;
The 5 hospitals are Airedale in West Yorkshire, Queen Elizabeth King’s Lynn in Norfolk, Hinchingbrooke in Cambridgeshire, Mid Cheshire Leighton in Cheshire and Frimley Park in Surrey. These hospitals all have significant amounts of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) – a lightweight type of concrete used to construct parts of the NHS estate in the past but which has a limited lifespan, after which it deteriorates significantly.
The NHS has asked the government to prioritise the rebuilding of these hospitals given the risks they pose to patients and staff – the full extent of which has come to light since the New Hospital Programme was first announced in 2020.
The Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath, Michael Gove Said;
One of our five priorities is to cut waiting lists in Surrey Heath, Aldershot and Bracknell. The announcement by the Department for Health will help us deliver this pledge.
Frimley Park Hospital has long been in need of an upgrade, and after my conversations with ministers in the Department for Health, the government has pledged to rebuild the hospital!
Frimley Park’s rebuild is part of the Government’s wider New Hospital Programme, which is backed by over £20 billion in funding.