NHS faces £5.7bn bill for patching up hospitals before demolishing them

<p>Delaying rebuilding programme in England to save money in short term requires costly repairs to keep sites safe</p><p>The repairs bill at 18 crumbling hospitals is set to soar to £5.7bn because replacing them will take so long, new analysis shows.</p><p>Reconstruction of 18 of the 40 new hospitals in England first promised by Boris Johnson in 2019 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/20/work-on-some-of-boris-johnsons-40-new-hospitals-will-not-start-until-2039">will not start until at least 2030</a> – the date by which all 40 were originally meant to open – to help spread the cost, amid stretched public finances.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/16/nhs-faces-57bn-bill-for-patching-up-hospitals-before-demolishing-them">Continue reading...</a>