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‘The place are these 40 hospitals?’: Tory Well being Secretary in automotive crash interview over failed election pledge

Tory Well being Secretary Victoria Atkins endured a automotive crash interview on LBC earlier right now, after being grilled on one more failed Tory pledge.

Within the run-up to the final basic election, the Tories had promised to construct 40 new hospitals of their 2019 manifesto underneath Boris Johnson, but nobody within the authorities appears to understand how a lot progress has been made in direction of the goal.

On LBC earlier right now, presenter Nick Ferrari requested Atkins: “I do know it was numerous years in the past and I do know it was underneath a earlier management, however the place are these 40 hospitals?”

Atkins replied: “Nicely we’re making progress and we can be opening, I believe, 4 of those hospitals this 12 months and there can be many different websites across the nation.

“I’ve been to go to one or two of them that aren’t accomplished however very a lot rising out of the bottom. Alongside that we have now the programme of works to improve present hospitals.”

Ferrari hit again: “Of the 40, what number of can be constructed by the point we come to a basic election?”

A clearly pissed off Atkins replied: “We’re opening 4 extra this 12 months, so relying on when the election is … we can have round 4 this 12 months, we’ve already opened a couple of extra.”

Requested exactly what number of, the well being secretary stated: “Nick you’re doing this factor the place you ask me to recollect all of the stats in my mind.”

In November final 12 months, the Public Accounts Committee warned that it had no confidence that the Authorities will ship the brand new hospitals it promised.

The committee warned that the federal government is very unlikely even to assemble the 32 new hospitals that it’s now aiming to finish by 2030, after the dedication to construct all 40 by then was deserted in Could final 12 months.

Moreover, evaluation by the Nationwide Audit Workplace discovered that of the 32 initiatives introduced in 2020 which might be being taken ahead, simply 11 qualify as “entire new hospitals”.

It stated 20 amounted to rebuilds of present hospitals, erecting main new buildings at present websites or a serious redevelopment of present buildings.

The PAC committee additionally stated that even after the goal variety of new hospitals was diminished to 32 in July, even getting that far is “extremely unlikely.”

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Ahead

The submit ‘Where are those 40 hospitals?’: Tory Health Secretary in car crash interview over failed election pledge appeared first on Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate.