Multimillion pound plans to demolish and rebuild all of North Manchester General Hospital have been drawn up by health and council chiefs, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.
The hospital, which has long struggled with its crumbling Victorian estate, would be completely overhauled as part of a new cutting-edge ‘health campus’ if local leaders get their way.
That would see other healthcare organisations move in alongside, as well new ‘extra care’ housing for the elderly and those needing a stop-gap between hospital and home.
Discussions have been held at a high level with both the Treasury and the Department of Health as Manchester council, the city’s health leaders and Greater Manchester’s devolved health system seeks to impress on government just how badly the hospital needs to be replaced.
Andy Burnham was briefed last week on the masterplan, which would see a new hospital built in phases spanning several years. Sources suggested up to £500m would potentially be needed for the mammoth project.
But they believe that without a rebuild, the hospital - which serves a population with the some of the highest rates nationally of certain illnesses, including heart disease and asthma - will never be able to truly give people the care they need, while overall health in that part of Greater Manchester will continue to lag.
Although some capital money for hospitals in Greater Manchester, including Stepping Hill and the Park House mental health unit, was announced by the Prime Minister on Monday, sources said the scale of the funding required to rebuild North Manchester meant it was never likely that cash would materialise this week.
However they do hope some funding could get the green light in the government’s next spending review, due in the autumn if the Parliamentary timetable is not disrupted by a general election.
The need for a rebuild is also bound up in protracted negotiations over North Manchester General’s planned move into Manchester Foundation Trust, which runs Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe hospitals, among others.
That process is supposed to be concluded by next April but has been hit by a number of delays, including questions over which services will stay on the site and which will stay with the current trust, Pennine Acute.
It is understood MFT would like to see at least some capital funding in place before it takes on North Manchester, given the extremely poor condition of its estate.
One source said the archaic state of some of the hospital’s operating theatres, four of which were closed last year after an estates review showed issues with engineering, electricals and air conditioning, was ‘like Call the Midwife’ - the ITV drama set in the 1960s NHS.
The M.E.N. understands there is also an urgent backlog of basic maintenance work that also needs funding aside from any potential rebuild cash.
Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese said work to transfer North Manchester General into MFT’s hands was continuing, with April next year still the intended completion date.
"That work includes an assessment of what investment is required for the site for both the short and longer-term needs,” he added.
“All this is part of ongoing discussions with the NHS - and we meet regularly with our MFT and Manchester Health and Care Commissioning colleagues to assess progress."
Pennine Acute - which now forms part of the Northern Alliance chain of hospitals - and MFT have been approached for comment.
