‘Very serious concerns’ about hospital rebuild delay lead to campaign group meeting this week

A more sophisticated campaign is being prepared amid “very serious concerns” that pushing back Lynn’s hospital rebuild will put patient and staff safety at risk.In a blow to MPs who said they were “delighted” with a potential 2033 completion date, the Save the QEH group has confirmed it is meeting this week to discuss a future strategy.This comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced a raft of delays to the scheme – just a week after hospital bosses said work was set to begin next year.

There are already widespread fears about the impact this will have at the current crumbling site, which is the most propped-up in the country and will reach the end of its lifespan in 2030.Jo Rust, a key member of the Save the QEH group, is particularly worried about the lack of details regarding how the gap between 2030 and 2033 will be bridged.She told the Lynn News: “It’s widely believed that while it’s great news that central government and Wes Streeting have confirmed that the QEH will get funding for a new build, we’ve had no confirmation or clarification over how the gap between 2030, the building’s end date, and 2032/33 will be managed.

“We’ve been told from the outset that the date of 2030 is a burning deck. We’ve not been given any information to suggest that this isn’t the case. “We’ve been told throughout that the remedial work will make the QEH safe for now, but that it won’t extend or prolong the life of the hospital.“So what will happen to safeguard and secure our local services for the residents that need and use them? “I suspect our campaign will need to be more sophisticated than merely dusting off the banners, although there’s always a place for a placard and a protest.

“We’ll need a more refined way to bring the very serious concerns about the delay to the forefront of government’s attention and press home the urgency of the situation to get funding released earlier than currently planned so our end date can be met.”When Mr Streeting announced the latest delay, South West Norfolk’s Labour MP Terry Jermy said he was “delighted” that a completion date had been set.Despite being asked specifically by the Lynn News about safety concerns at the current building, he has so far been unable to provide any clarity on how these will be managed.

Instead, he has largely focused on what he perceives as the previous Conservative Government’s failures. “The New Hospitals programme Labour inherited was unfunded and undeliverable. It is as simple as that,” he said this week.“Under the Conservative Government not a single new hospital was built in the past five years, and there was no credible funding plan. Even the Tory Health Secretary at the time said there were a ‘range of building works’.“They had 14 years to deliver, and they failed. I have always worked closely with the Queen Elizabeth campaign and will continue to do so – having visited the hospital I fully appreciate the challenges and I will continue to work with the Trust to meet the demands of its refurbishment.“The new Labour Government is committed to rebuilding our NHS brick by brick and as we do so, we will also rebuild trust in politics that we will deliver and make people’s lives better. “The Queen Elizabeth Hospital was my main priority when I stood as a candidate.“I have been campaigning on it ever since the election and I am delighted that it is getting the much-needed investment to be a modern hospital that fully meets the needs of staff and patients and fit for the 21st century.”North West Norfolk’s Conservative MP James Wild has said he will continue to press ministers to bring forward the rebuild as quickly as possible – and believes it can be done.

“This week I met with the Health Minister, new hospitals programme team, and QEH to review progress on the plans for a new QEH,” he said.“While welcoming the Government’s commitment to QEH, I expressed concerns about the delay from the planned 2030 date for opening the hospital and the Minister assured me the Department of Health will be going faster if it is possible on our scheme and there are no funding issues that would prevent that. “I was also assured the site survey of QEH to provide an assessment of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) issues will not prevent other approvals including for the new multi-storey car park.“A new QEH remains my top priority and I will continue to work with the trust and ministers to ensure it is delivered as soon as possible.”The Lynn News had revealed in January that final designs were being drawn up for the multi-storey car park, with building work set to kick off this summer.This would have allowed the hospital rebuild itself to get under way in mid-2026, hitting the 2030 deadline.However, Mr Streeting’s delay announcement appears to have put paid to those ambitions.