The suspicious pledge that Boris Johnson will build 40 new hospitals by 2030 will be investigated by spending monitoring agencies.
The manifesto commitment, which was an important part of the 2019 Prime Minister’s election campaign, was dubbed by the opposition as misleading.
The Minister and the Department of Health were instructed to call the renovation of an existing hospital or the construction of a new facility a “new hospital”.
Currently, the National Audit Office (NAO) is planning “value for monetary reviews” in the face of increased costs caused by the surge in inflation.
Under pressure from workers, the organization confirmed that it would be wondering if the plan could be classified as a “new hospital” as part of the process.
The investigation could pose another political issue for Mr Johnson and question both his truthfulness and his ability to carry out election promises.
The investigation appeared in a letter from NAO’s accounting auditor Gareth Davis to Shadow Secretary of State for Health Wes Streeting.
Labor lawmakers said many NHS trusts are still waiting for funding, and many are actually remodeling or refurbishment rather than “new hospitals.”
In the first letter reported by the observer, Davis replied:
“I passed your letter to my HealthValue for Money team so you can consider the specific issues you have raised when expanding the scope of your review.
“In particular, note your comments on the impact of delays on rising costs during this period of high inflation and the question of whether all projects really meet the” new hospital “classification. “
Regarding the investigation, Streeting said: ‘The only place where these “40 new hospitals” currently exist is Boris Johnson’s imagination.
“The promises of the election manifesto look like another example of how the Conservatives are over-promising and under-performing.”
Communication guidance issued by the Ministry of Health in August 2021 clarified that the government applies a broad definition to what constitutes a “new hospital.”
“A” major refurbishment “or” large new clinical building “of an existing site must always be called a new hospital because it meets the criteria of what a new hospital is.
The Ministry of Health insisted that: ‘We plan to offer 40 new hospitals by 2030.
“We work closely with the NHS and trust in the development of NHS’s architectural plans.
“Each construction project will be a new hospital that will provide a whole new state-of-the-art facility to provide world-class medical care to NHS patients and staff by replacing the old infrastructure.”
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