Health Minister Steve Barclay confirms £800m funding for new Basingstoke hospital

Funding of £800m has been awarded to build a new hospital in Basingstoke.

It was announced in 2020 that the town would be given a new hospital as part of a £3.7bn Government funding package, but fears over rising costs and insufficient funds put these plans into doubt.

However, health minister Steve Barclay has confirmed that the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would be given funding to build a new hospital for mid and North Hampshire as part of the Government’s £20bn hospital infrastructure investment programme.

Basingstoke MP Maria Miller announced the news on May 25.

She said: “Hampshire Hospital Trust has secured £800m from the Government to fund our new hospital, which is the largest infrastructure investment in Basingstoke’s history and the result of an extraordinary piece of teamwork led by the trust’s chief executive Alex Whitfield.

“We now move on to the next stage with the team on the ground being able to launch a public consultation, secure the preferred site, and then apply for detailed planning consent.

“Whilst the NHS has been focussed on keeping us all safe through the pandemic and tackling the backlog of medical treatment, our trust has also continued to work hard to get its detailed business plan through the extensive NHS approval process and successfully approved by the Treasury.

“I know that residents across Basingstoke are looking forward to this process moving forward as quickly as possible.

“This is a huge step forward, allowing our local NHS to replace a much-loved 1970s hospital with a state-of-the-art new facility fit to serve the residents of Basingstoke, North and mid Hampshire.’’

There are two potential sites for the new hospital.

One is land off Junction 7 of the M3 and the other is the current site of Basingstoke hospital, but it appears that the Junction 7 site is the preferred one following discussions in Parliament last month.

It is hoped that the new hospital will be completed by 2032 or 2033.

Former leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Simon Minas-Bound said: “This is a great opportunity to deliver healthcare in the best way and place for all our residents.

“Huge amounts of work have been going on behind the scenes with Hampshire County Council, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to develop the best possible health and wider outcomes for residents.

“Delivering a new hospital at the heart of a new medical campus is a game changer for our borough.

“Basingstoke hospital has some amazing clinicians doing outstanding work and its right they have a fantastic hospital to do that work in.”

Mr Minas-Bound also stated that there are also plans to build a science park and university campus in Basingstoke that are linked to the new hospital project.