KGH rebuild CONFIRMED by Government

Kettering General Hospitals rebuild was confirmed by Boris Johnson

Kettering General Hospital WILL be rebuilt after the government revealed it had definitely won its share of a national £3.7bn Health Infrastructure Plan funding pot.

Two options are being considered for the £400m rebuild - either a new hospital on one site, or two separate sites for hot (urgent) and cold (planned, non-urgent patients).

It has not been confirmed where any of these sites could be but earlier this year the Northants Telegraph was told that the existing Rothwell Road site was the most likely location as some of the more modern buildings on the site could be incorporated.

The aim is to have the new hospital up and running within the next ten to 15 years.

KGH Chief Executive Simon Weldon and his team had already been told over the summer that the deal was as good as done, and had started working on more detailed proposals. But last night (Friday, October 2) formal confirmation of the hospital’s winning bid finally came from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Johnson said: “The dedication and tireless efforts of our nurses, doctors and all healthcare workers have kept the NHS open throughout this pandemic. But no matter what this virus throws at us, we are determined to build back better and deliver the biggest hospital building programme in a generation.

”From Morpeth to Milton Keynes, we are building 40 new hospitals across England to level up our NHS so more people have top-class healthcare services in their local area.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “We protected the NHS through the peak of coronavirus. Today we recommit to protect the NHS for years to come with the 40 new hospitals we will build over the next decade.

“I love the NHS and I will do all I can to make sure it is there for you and your family over the years to come. The biggest hospital building programme in a generation will help protect the NHS long into the future.”

The Government faced criticism last year when it announced it would build 40 ‘new’ hospitals as part of the Health Infrastructure Plan, when most of those were actually rebuilds of existing hospitals.