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The Government’s commitment to a significant rebuild of Kettering General Hospital was reiterated by Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay on May 25 in a special House of Commons debate .

 

The KGH rebuild is part of phase 4 of the New Hospital Programme, the biggest hospital building programme in a generation, which the Government plans to use to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030.

 

Mr Barclay said: “Four more hospitals in cohort 4 remain on track for completion by 2030: Milton Keynes University Hospital, Kettering General Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and Torbay Hospital.”

 

He was then asked a question by Kettering MP Philip Hollobone about the KGH scheme. Mr Hollobone said: “I thank the Secretary of State for his personal interest in and commitment to Kettering General Hospital and his visit to the hospital last July.

 

“Will he confirm that Kettering General Hospital’s place in the new hospital programme continues to be secured with a fully funded, redeveloped, improved and expanded hospital due on the existing site by 2030, in line with the original timeline?”

 

To which Mr Barclay replied; “As I set out in my statement, the place of Kettering in the new hospital programme is secure. That is in large part a result of my hon. Friend’s campaigning.

 

“He has raised this issue with me on a very regular basis and shown me at first hand the issues at Kettering. He has championed investment in Kettering General Hospital, and today’s announcement is a very positive day for the staff and patients of Kettering.”

 

Kettering General Hospital’s Chief Executive, Deborah Needham, said: “We welcome the update from the Health and Social Care Secretary that the work under the New Hospital Programme at Kettering will soon be underway.

 

“It is an exciting development in the major rebuild of our hospital, which is instrumental in our ability to continue to provide the best care possible to our patients.”

In November 2022 we announced we had received written confirmation from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England that we can begin to access £38m of capital from an initial funding allocation of £46m announced in October 2019.

 

This will mean we can start to prepare parts of its site for the major rebuild itself, which, subject to business case approvals and funding, could begin in 2025.

 

The hospital had its outline business case for the Energy Centre approved by Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England’s Joint Investment Committee. Subject to further approvals work could start in December 2023 and be completed by December 2024.

 

In addition, it has had its £4.14m case for electrical infrastructure approved by the New Hospital Programme Investment Committee with work due to start in 2023 to be completed by the end of the year.

 

These enabling works are vital to a future rebuild. The hospital is currently running its heating and hot water from a 10-year-old temporary boiler plant and steam network system, which has regular maintenance issues.

 

In addition, most of the hospital’s high voltage electrical infrastructure is more than 50 years old and its main power supply has reached its maximum capacity.

 

The new Energy Centre will make a significant contribution towards the Trust’s ambition to achieve net carbon zero status by 2040.The new facility will deliver 40% of the target reduction in carbon emissions and use less fossil fuel.

 

Then we would progress to Phase 1 of the rebuild. Timings for this are not yet available and subject to business case approval. But in this phase we plan to create the new Urgent Care Hub with new A&E departments for children and adults, new assessment areas and six new wards.

 

In Phase 2 we would move into the Urgent Care Hub and demolish the old A&E department and some of our other older buildings to create a new front entrance to the hospital complete with new imaging, wards and operating theatres.