The trust in charge of the Royal Berkshire Hospital are ‘standing down’ the programme team for its rebuild after it was delayed to start in the late 2030s.
The government announced in January the rebuild of Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading will not begin until 2037 at the earliest following its review of the conservative’s new hospital programme.
The scheme which promised the delivery of 40 hospitals by 2030 was branded ‘uncosted and undeliverable’ by Labour.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the new hospitals would be delivered in ‘waves’ of five-year periods, from wave zero to wave three.
Two billion pounds have been put forward for the scheme, which will begin construction between 2037 and 2039.
A spokesperson from the NHS Royal Berkshire Trust said in January they were ‘extremely disappointed’ that there was ‘little prospect of a new hospital before 2040’.
Now, the trust says it is standing the programme team in charge of the hospital move down.
In a report to Wokingham Borough Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Commitee, Building Berkshire Together says funding for the programme will resume after 2030.
The report says it faces challenges in maintaining the current estate, meeting increased population demands, and meeting NHS net zero targets.
There is also the challenge of land availability for the future new hospital.
Two sites within the Wokingham borough had been identified for the move, at Thames Valley Park and Thames Valley Science Park.
Hospital bosses say they must secure funding for a business case for land purchase, as well as make a master plan for the next 15 years.
In January, Steve McManus said the hospital’s maintenance bill could hit £400 million.
A total of £123 million has already been spent over the last five years maintaining the site on Craven Road.
Some parts of the building date back 175 years.
Representatives from Royal Berkshire NHS will present to Wokingham Borough Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, March 18.
